Sep 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates with center Cade Mays (64) after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

PFF analyst shares high praise for Carolina Panthers’ remade offensive line

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 5:00 PM ET

After a shaky 0-2 start, the Carolina Panthers got their first win this season last Sunday at home. Dave Canales’s club blanked the Atlanta Falcons, 30-0, the team’s first shutout since 2020.

Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus went through all 16 games in Week 3. He explained why each team won and each team lost. When it came to Canales’s team, the key to their resounding victory was more about the offensive side of the ball than the performance of an Ejiro Evero’s defense that forced three turnovers.

“Sunday proved to be a strong day for the Panthers in pass protection,” explained Valentine, “especially against a Falcons defense that has started the season hot. Bryce Young was pressured on just 29.6 percent of his drop backs, as Carolina surrendered just six total pressures and a sack—which was on a blitz pickup by Rico Dowdle."

"The Panthers’ starting offensive line yielded just five pressures as a unit, with center Cade Mays earning an 83.1 PFF pass-blocking grade across a clean sheet.”

Panthers’ revamped offensive front was impressive vs. the Falcons

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

What made this unit’s showing even more impressive was the fact that the team was down a pair of starters up front. Center Austin Corbett and right guard Robert Hunt were both placed on injured reserve last week. While the aforementioned Mays took over at the pivot for Corbett, Chandler Zavala—a fourth-round pick in 2023—replaced Hunt. All told, Young was sacked just once and hit only three times.

It was a stark contrast from Week 2 at Arizona, when the third-year quarterback was dropped three times. Young was sacked by Cardinals’ edge rusher Josh Sweat on the team’s first series, fumbled, and the miscue was returned for a score . On Sunday at Charlotte, the Panthers’ front of Mays, Zavala, tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, and left guard Damien Lewis kept Young out of harm’s way, and Canales’s offensive unit played turnover-free football.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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