After a 34-3 win, it's a little harder to find players whose stock is falling. I'm sure the Panthers are perfectly fine with having that problem. Carolina looked nothing like the team we watched give up 59 points against Chicago a week ago. This time, there were a lot more good things to talk about.
The defense was probably the biggest difference, but there were guys on offense who had pretty good days too. There were still a couple of things I wanted to see more of. Here is who I have moving up and down after Carolina's win in Atlanta.
Stock Up: Devin Lloyd
Sep 20, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd (55) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown on an interception during the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There really wasn't much thought needed on this one. Devin Lloyd was all over the field Sunday, and it seemed like every time Atlanta started to get something going, he was somewhere around the football. He finished with two interceptions, a sack, two tackles for loss, and three passes defended. One of those interceptions went back 16 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
After what we watched against Chicago, Carolina needed somebody on defense to step up. Lloyd didn't just make one big play; he kept making them throughout the game.
Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, no other linebacker has recorded at least eight tackles, two interceptions, a touchdown, and a sack in the same game. That's pretty crazy when you think about some of the linebackers who have played in the NFL since 1982.
Obviously, I'm not expecting Lloyd to go out and have two interceptions every week. But this was exactly the kind of performance Carolina needed after what happened in Week 1. If he keeps finding ways to get around the football and make plays, he's going to be a big part of this defense. Nobody on the Panthers saw their stock go up more Sunday.
Stock Up: Tetairoa McMillan
I really liked what we saw from Tetairoa McMillan on Sunday. He finished with five catches for 101 yards on 10 targets and now has 176 receiving yards through the first two games. He still hasn't scored a touchdown, but I'm not really worried about that yet. If they keep getting him the football, I think the touchdowns will eventually come.
What I like is Young doesn't have to force the ball to McMillan for him to have a big game. He only caught five passes Sunday and still went over 100 yards. We're already starting to see some of the big-play ability he can give this offense. It's early, but I like what I've seen from him so far.
Stock Up: Darren Waller
Sep 20, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller (88) makes a catch as Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) defends during the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Darren Waller only caught three passes Sunday, but two of them went for touchdowns. I'll take that every week. He finished with 33 yards and caught touchdown passes from seven and 12 yards out. He wasn't heavily involved for most of the afternoon, but when Carolina got close to the end zone, Young found him.
That's really all I need from Waller right now. Carolina already has McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette getting their share of the football. Waller doesn't need to catch eight passes or put up 100 yards to have an impact. If he becomes somebody Young trusts around the goal line, he gives this offense something else to work with.
Stock Down: Jonathon Brooks
Sep 20, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (25) rushes and is tackled by Atlanta Falcons cornerback C.J. Henderson (26) during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
I went back and forth on putting Jonathon Brooks here because I don't think he played badly. The problem is we still really aren't seeing much of him. Brooks finished with five carries for 16 yards and caught one pass for a loss of five. Through two games, he only has nine rushing attempts for 30 yards.
That's a little disappointing because we saw what he can do against Chicago when he turned one catch into a 48-yard gain. I thought that might lead to Carolina getting him involved a little more against Atlanta, but it really didn't happen.
Hubbard is clearly still the guy getting most of the work, and I don't have a problem with that. I just want to see Brooks get enough chances to where we can actually figure out what his role is going to be.
I'm not worried about Brooks after two games, and I'm definitely not writing him off. This is more about his role than anything he has done wrong. Right now, we just haven't seen enough of him, so I have his stock down this week.
Stock Down: Carolina's Discipline
It's hard to complain too much when you just watched your team win 34-3, but nine penalties for 63 yards is still too many. Carolina was good enough Sunday that those mistakes didn't really matter. Against a better team in a closer game, that might not be the case. One penalty at the wrong time can kill a drive or keep one alive for the other team.
This wasn't just a problem Sunday either. Carolina was flagged 11 times against Chicago, so we're talking about 20 penalties through two games. They fixed a lot of things from Week 1 to Week 2, but this is one they haven't fixed yet.
If I'm Dave Canales, this is something I'm talking about this week. You can get away with it when you beat somebody by 31 points. Eventually, though, Carolina is going to play a game where one or two of those mistakes matter a whole lot more.
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