By admin 
Every once in a while in the NFL, you get a game where just about everything goes right.
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That’s what happened for the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. After a bad Week 1 performance, the Panthers desperately needed a bounce-back, and luckily, they were playing against the Atlanta Falcons.
For whatever reason, quarterback Bryce Young loves playing against the Falcons. That trend continued this week, and the Panthers walked out of Atlanta with a decisive 34-3 victory.
Now, let’s go through and give each position group a grade.
Quarterback
As mentioned above, Young was awesome in Week 2. The quarterback threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, and didn’t turn the ball over. Young was decisive and in control all afternoon.
If Young plays like this, it’s going to be hard to beat the Panthers. It’s hard to ask for anything more from Young than what he just delivered.
Grade: A+
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard is clearly the top running back on the team through two weeks. Hubbard ended with 53 rushing yards and also caught two passes for 11 yards and one score.
Jonathon Brooks only rushed for 16 yards and is dealing with an injury, which is a bummer. This was one of the few groups that wasn’t super impressive in Week 2.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver
The Panthers have had a wide receiver get at least 100 yards in both games so far. In Week 1, it was Jalen Coker, and Tetairoa McMillan had the honors in Week 2.
McMillan ended with five catches for 101 yards in Week 2, while Coker had eight catches for 66 yards. These receivers are helping out a ton, and they’ve been even better than anyone expected so far.
Grade: A
Tight End
Finally, we saw some production from a Panthers’ tight end! Darren Waller caught three passes for 33 yards and two touchdowns. Waller showed that he can still be a red zone threat, and the Panthers need him to keep that going.
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At this point, it’s Waller or nothing at tight end.
Grade: A
Offensive Line
Like the running back room, the offensive line is one of the only position groups that wasn’t super impressive. There weren’t too many holes in the run game, and the Falcons were able to collect two sacks and three tackles for loss.
It wasn’t a horrible performance, but the unit is going to have to be better going forward.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
The defensive line was very average in this game. Of the five worst PFF grades on defense, three of those are defensive linemen. Cam Jackson, Lee Hunter, and TeRah Edwards all graded out poorly and didn’t make much of an impact.
The one bright spot was Aaron Hall, who saved the grade here. Hall racked up six tackles, one quarterback hit, and now has the third-most pressures of all rookie defenders.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
Man, Devin Lloyd really just had one of the best games you’ll ever see from a linebacker. The veteran stuffed the stat sheet, collecting seven tackles, three pass breakups, two interceptions, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Bobby Okereke was also awesome, grabbing nine tackles, one quarterback hit, and one pass breakup. On the edges, Jaelan Phillips picked up a sack, and Princely Umanmielen had one of the best grades on the team.
Grade: A+++
Secondary
Finally, we’ll end with another position group that was absolutely elite in Week 2. Mike Jackson and Jaycee Horn ensured that nothing was open for Cooper Rush, and rookie Zakee Wheatley dominated in his first chance in the NFL.
The Falcons only threw for 129 yards and didn’t find the end zone once. No receiver had more than 51 yards, and the secondary even forced a couple of turnovers. This was a lockdown performance.
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Grade: A+
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This story was originally published September 22, 2026 at 8:10 PM.