Carolina
Panthers
2-0
28
FINAL
25
Cleveland
Browns
1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 3 matchup, the Carolina Panthers held off the Cleveland Browns with a final score of 28-25. Both teams entered this game seeking their second win of the season, making this contest pivotal as they vie for playoff positioning early in the 2026 campaign.
Ty Simpson led the Panthers' offense with 236 passing yards, while Jeremiyah Love dominated on the ground, racking up 115 rushing yards. The Browns’ Jalen Hurts threw for three touchdowns, showcasing his passing prowess, but it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Kayshon Boutte stood out for Cleveland, amassing an impressive 157 receiving yards, keeping the game competitive until the final whistle.
Defensively, the Browns were led by Bobby Wagner, who recorded 11 total tackles, but Carolina's ability to execute in critical moments proved crucial. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when the Panthers' defense stifled a potential game-tying drive, forcing a turnover on downs and sealing their narrow victory. The Panthers' resilience under pressure ultimately helped them secure the win in this tightly contested showdown.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Simpson | QB | 30 | 21 | 70% | 236 | 1 | 0 | 104.3 |
| Jalen Hurts | QB | 29 | 17 | 59% | 213 | 3 | 0 | 116.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 17 | 115 | 6.8 | 46 | 1 | 33 | 0 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 18 | 72 | 4.0 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Jadarian Price | HB | 6 | 26 | 4.3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Kaytron Allen | HB | 5 | 21 | 4.2 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jalen Hurts | QB | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Mike Washington Jr. | HB | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | — | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Ty Simpson | QB | 4 | 8 | 2.0 | — | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Christian Kirk | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayshon Boutte | WR | 9 | 157 | 17.4 | 89 | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Christian Kirk | WR | 3 | 84 | 28.0 | 69 | 1 | 68 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 5 | 51 | 10.2 | 25 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Justin Jefferson | WR | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Jake Ferguson | TE | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Tank Dell | WR | 3 | 25 | 8.3 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | WR | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Terry McLaurin | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | — | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Tyler Higbee | TE | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Greg Dulcich | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Wagner | MIKE | 11 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaylen Watson | CB | 8 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Rodriguez | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedric Gray | WILL | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cor'Dale Flott | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Geno Stone | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frankie Luvu | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arnold Ebiketie | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendal Daniels | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kerby Joseph | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Sainristil | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris McClellan | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maxwell Hairston | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Allen | DT | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Love | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | LEDG | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nathaniel Watson | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Barmore | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Greenard | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D'Marco Jackson | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ochaun Mathis | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Abdul Carter | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryce Boettcher | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jason Pinnock | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K'Lavon Chaisson | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Carter II | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Elliott | K | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Zane Gonzalez | K | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Rigoberto Sanchez | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Cole | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

