By Matthew Couden
Copyright newsweek
The Carolina Panthers are among teams looking to pick up their first win in Week 3. They suffered consecutive losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals, giving them an 0-2 start.On Sunday, they’ll face the thriving Atlanta Falcons, who improved to 1-1 after quarterback Michael Penix Jr. led them to an away victory against the Minnesota Falcons.Both squads remain among teams that still have a healthy starting quarterback. Former No. 1 pick Bryce Young will attempt to lead the squad to an upset victory against Atlanta.Through two games, Young has recorded 482 passing yards and four touchdowns on 53-of-90 completions. Most passes have gone to Tetairoa McMillan, although Young has found other options, including Ja’Tavion Sanders, Chubba Hubbard, and Hunter Renfrow.Read more: Bears Receive Major Injury Updates Before Cowboys GameUnfortunately, he’ll be without a key member of his offense who the team was hoping to see improvement from after some tough games.On Sunday, Ari Meirov reported that the Panthers are without wide receiver Xavier Legette. He’ll be sidelined for Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Joe Person reported Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Legette had some hamstring soreness “kind of pop up” after individual drills.Legette’s in his second season with the Panthers. As a rookie last season, he started in 13 games and played in 16, catching 49 passes for 497 yards and four touchdowns. He also participated in a small portion of the team’s rushing plays, picking up 24 yards on six carries.However, his 2025 season is off to a rough start, as he’s recorded eight yards on four receptions. In Carolina’s Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had three receptions on seven targets for 10 yards.In a Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Legette was on the wrong side of a historic NFL feat, as ESPN reported he had one catch on eight targets for minus-2 yards receiving.While Young hasn’t targetted Legette the most through the team’s first few games, he still expressed praise for him as part of the offense.”There’s not any frustration or anything like that. Having a guy out there like him is a luxury for me. It’s a luxury for this offense. We all as an organization have a ton of faith in him,” Young said, per ESPN.Legette also said “one of [his] best games is around the corner.”Read more: Jaguars’ Travis Hunter Gets Brutally Honest Assessment Before Texans GameFor more on the Carolina Panthers and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
