Enemy Reaction 2023: Carolina Panthers

It may have been a little bit more tedious and difficult than desired, but the Seattle Seahawks got the job done against the Carolina Panthers. That five-game losing streak to the NFC South is over, and the Seahawks have won back-to-back games by scoring 37 points after only putting up 13 in Week 1. Maybe it’s me, but I really never thought Seattle was going to lose even when they were down 13-9, and I’m confident that this would’ve been a big blowout if Bryce Young had started and not a veteran like Andy Dalton.

This was a bit of a weird game where the 1st half was kinda uneventful in terms of huge plays (but very eventful in terms of injuries), and then suddenly we had all of the action in the 2nd half to make it probably a much higher scoring game than many would’ve expected.

Let’s get to it! Enemy Reaction is here and Cat Scratch Reader is in our sights. Poor Panthers fans, for their team doesn’t have a first-round pick next year. They’ve not been in this series since 2019 and the testiness is pretty damn high for a rebuilding squad.

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Brian Burns sack leads to Seahawks kicking field goal (6-3 SEA)

Kenneth Walker burns the Panthers for 36-yard gain, setting up another field goal (9-3 SEA)

DJ Chark scores on a busted coverage (10-9 CAR)

Geno Smith picked off by Deion Jones, leading to Panthers field goal (13-9 CAR)

Eddy Pineiro pulls 55-yard field goal wide right (15-13 SEA)

Kenneth Walker finally gets the Seahawks in the end zone (22-13 SEA)

Adam Thielen breaks free for big gain to the 1-yard line, leading to Miles Sanders touchdown (22-20 SEA)

Kenneth Walker high steps his way for another touchdown (29-20 SEA)

Panthers can’t stop false starting (29-20 SEA)

Andy Dalton sacked by Jarran Reed on 4th down (29-20 SEA)

Zach Charbonnet lowers the boom (29-20 SEA)

It’s Jake Bobo time! (35-20 SEA)

Russell Wilson Geno Smith spins and throws one up for Luke Willson Tyler Lockett for two more points (37-20 SEA, 37-27 SEA Final)

Fire Frank Reich already?

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Post-Game: Carolina’s entire season has been a false start (Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer)

If you’re looking for a symbol of the Carolina Panthers’ first three games, you will do no better than “The Flinch.”

Fans will flinch when they see Carolina’s 0-3 record — the first time since 2010 the Panthers have started so poorly. Carolina coaches will flinch when they watch the game film of Carolina’s 37-27 road loss to Seattle Sunday.

And the Panthers’ offensive line? It flinched, over and over, on Sunday in a game marred by the Panthers getting called for false starts eight different times. The Panthers’ entire season is off to a false start, in fact. And this time an otherwise flinchy, faulty, forgettable game will be remembered mostly for the yellow laundry.

Yes, the crowd noise in Seattle is legendary. Rightfully so. But this was still remarkable in its awfulness. The Panthers’ eight false starts as a team were the most by any team since the 2011 Chicago Bears had nine in Detroit, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

Post-Game: The Panthers are what their record says they are (Anthony Rizzuto, Panthers Wire)

After the loss, head coach Frank Reich, quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver Adam Thielen all stressed that the team is too good to be this bad. But you wouldn’t know it by all the little things they got wrong on Sunday.

Their circus of errors was headlined by their noise-induced eight false start penalties, with seven coming courtesy of a rattled offensive line. There were also a few plays that may have caused some fans to bang their heads against the nearest wall—including a drop by running back Miles Sanders in the third quarter that could’ve gone for a 37-yard touchdown reception and the 2-point conversion by Seattle in the fourth quarter where quarterback Geno Smith had what felt like an hour to run one side of the field and throw across his body for the completion from the other.

Quite frankly, the Panthers are very much what their record says they are.

Post-Game Video: Panthers look pathetic (99.9 The Fan)

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BONUS Enemy Reaction: You know who...

Enemy Preaction: New York Giants

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You have to admire the Seahawks’ early abilities to overcome adversity. Opening week couldn’t have been much worse, and that set up a borderline must-win against the Detroit Lions, which they pulled off on the road. Then on a day of celebration, the Seahawks overcame pre-game and in-game injuries to take care of the Panthers by any means necessary. That early bye week is looking more like a blessing than a curse, and if the Seahawks can get to the break at 3-1, I think that’s what many of us were expecting coming into the season... even if not necessarily in this fashion.

Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!