Years of losing snowballed into a carousel of coaches rotating through the Carolina Panthers, who traded up for the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft and selected Bryce Young to be their franchise quarterback.
Years of losing brought a wholesale regime change to the Washington Commanders, who hired experienced coach Dan Quinn and took Jayden Daniels with the second pick in the draft earlier this year with the same intention in mind.
While Daniels has lived up to that billing and the Commanders look to be on an upward trajectory, the Panthers benched Young and are struggling in rookie coach Dave Canales' first season. These teams meet Sunday in a matchup of organizations diverging in vastly different directions — one with playoff aspirations and the other seemingly lost in the present and lacking hope for the near future.
“There’s a lot of things that are different just between team to team,” said Washington safety Jeremy Chinn, who played his first four pro seasons with Carolina. “I really don’t want to compare the two things, but I’m definitely happy that I’m here.”
The Commanders (4-2) are on their way to showing how quickly a team can turn things around when getting it right at the most important position in football, much like Houston did with C.J. Stroud, who was taken one pick after Young.
Quinn, who was on Seattle's staff when the Seahawks won it all with Russell Wilson, coached Matt Ryan and the Falcons to the Super Bowl and spent time around Dak Prescott the past few years as an assistant in Dallas, knows exactly how important it is.
“That’s the name of the game at a position that affects the outcome so much,” Quinn said. “Knowing that we have an excellent quarterback here, it’s fantastic.”
Six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, who was with Quinn and Wilson on Seattle's 2014 Super Bowl championship team and is now with Washington, said finding the answer at QB “ignites not only the team but the city when you got somebody that you know is going to consistently be there, you know is going to be the future.”
So, about the Panthers.
They’ve gone 32-73 since 2018, the NFL’s worst record in that time, have not had a winning season since ’17 and benched Young two games into the season to start 36-year-old Andy Dalton. After beating Las Vegas, Carolina has lost three in a row to fall to 1-5.
“Just keep playing," receiver Diontae Johnson said. "Everybody can’t do everybody else’s job, so if we don’t handle our own assignments, play as one, stuff like this is going to keep happening. We are going to keep having the same feeling.”
Canales — the fifth person to coach the Panthers since Ron Rivera was fired in 2019, following Perry Fewell, Matt Rhule, Steve Wilks, Frank Reich and Chris Tabor — pulled the plug on Young after three interceptions and no touchdowns.
"We all want to win right now," Canales said recently. “If we can start it off with attitude and start it off with effort and things that we can control, then we can continue to grow.”
Quinn, the choice to succeed Rivera with the Commanders after new owner Josh Harris hired Adam Peters as general manager, was reluctant to name Daniels the starter until after a couple of preseason games. Daniels has since become the favorite to be offensive rookie of the year and is the only player to throw for 1,400 yards and run for 300 in his first six games.
Daniels, who called Young one of his closest friends, said it's a tough situation and has tried to offer whatever counsel he can, spiritual or otherwise.
“I just told him I’m always praying for him. I’m always here to talk to him,” Daniels said. “Keep your faith. It is all going to work out.”
Washington has not had a winning season since 2015 and not won a playoff game since 2005. Now there's plenty of optimism in the short and long term for a team that's atop the NFC East and having way more fun than the Panthers.
“It’s always fun to win,” said running back Brian Robinson Jr. who's aiming to play after missing the last game because of a knee injury. “Coming off losing seasons, it’s always good to start off hot. But more than anything, we just want to keep it going.”
Pressure to score
Carolina’s defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone, allowing a league-high 33.8 points a game — the most in the Super Bowl era through six games — and often forcing the Panthers into shootouts.
“We want to score every time we’re out there,” Dalton said. “It’s just kind of how these games have gone so far. We’ve got to keep scoring. So however it goes in each game, for us, our mindset that when we have the ball, we’re going to do everything we can to get to points.”
Canales would love to remain committed to the running game but acknowledges that has been hard at times with the Panthers falling behind. They will look to lean on Chuba Hubbard, who's third in the league in rushing and has averaged more than 100 yards over the past four games, to keep Daniels and Co. off the field.
Commanders' challenges
The Commanders are 8-point home favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook, and players are warning each other against complacency. Washington has not been a home favorite this big since 2017.
“It’s the NFL,” Daniels said. “Any given Sunday, you could lose any game against any opponent."
The team is also now without standout defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, who's done for the season because of a torn pectoral muscle. It will be up to a rotation of Daron Payne, Phidarian Mathis, rookie Johnny Newton and recently signed Sheldon Day to fill the void.
“I just know it’s my time now,” said Newton, who was the 36th pick in the draft. “I don’t want any drop-off, so just go in there and play the same level that he did.”
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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
