Quarter In Review: Panthers in the driver's seat

by Crimsion | 3 years ago | 1 Comments

The first four games are in the books for the Carolina Panthers and they are now sitting atop the NFC South with a record of 3-1. While they do currently lead the division, the Panthers are certainly not comfortable with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints also sitting at 3-1, while the Atlanta Falcons are not far behind at 2-2. 

Head Coach Jordan Charles attribues the team's success to it's young core, mainly the likes of Terrace Marshall Jr. and rookie Nate Branson.

"We've got some young talent really stepping up this year," said Charles during his week 5 presser. "Terrace, Nate, Ronald [Yates] and Jaycee [Horn] to name a few, but everyone really seems to be on the same page."

Unfortunately for the Panthers they found their first loss in week four, losing to the Cleveland Browns in the closing minutes. Rookie runningback Nate Branson continued his solid campaign however, he currently sits at 504 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground.

Looking ahead, the Panthers have a pivitol match up in week 5 against their NFC South rival in the Buccaneers and Quarterback, Sam Darnold, is looking forward to the challenge.

"It's always fun to take on the best of the best, and for me Tom Brady is the greatest challenge." said the USC product.

Darnold is looking to impress the masses as he is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season. Whether it's the Carolina Panthers or another suitor, the former Trojan is in line for a decently sized payday.

The second quarter of the season certainly will test Darnold and the Panthers, but all signs point to them being up for the challenge.