Losing to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 wasn’t the only loss the Carolina Panthers suffered this week. Third year safety Jeremy Chinn was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Defense has been the only bright spot through the first quarter of the 2022 NFL season for the Panthers. Losing a star isn’t going to help them improve.
Their opponent this week, the San Francisco 49ers have also led with their defense and lost a star early in this season. These surface similarities don’t hold up to deep scrutiny, however.