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Panthers DT Derrick Brown's early MVP pick should come as no surprise
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- Panthers DT Derrick Brown's early MVP pick should come as no surprise
If anybody tells you they expected the Carolina Panthers offense to be this good, they're lying to you.
Over the previous three seasons, Carolina consistently had one of the worst offenses in the NFL—despite the occasional gem from starting quarterback Bryce Young. This year, it's been a completely different story—as Young has leveled up his game and brought the entire unit, which ranks second in yards per game (404.4) and fourth in scoring (29.2 points per game), with him.
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Perhaps nobody is in better position to explain how they've improved than star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who has been with the organization since 2020. Here, when chatting with DJ Siddiqi, is what No. 95 had to say about that big leap forward:
"It's been dynamic. For the offense to go out there and have the execution they've had in the last few weeks — shout out to Brad Idzik (offensive coordinator), in his first year being a play caller, and him and Bryce being in the same realm," said Brown, who also told Siddiqi that his early MVP vote would go to Young.
"Getting the ball to Jalen Coker and T-Mac, and the offensive line holding on. It's just so many moving pieces. Tommy Tremble and the tight ends are playing such a big role, and I think just having him, Mitchell (Evans) and Darren, we got some pieces. That's for sure. I just love to sit back and watch it at this point."
Credit Brown for recognizing the role of offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, who deserves as much credit as anyone outside of Young for the glow-up. Idzik, in his first season as the play-caller, has helped establish a bold identity on offense—something the organization had lacked for quite some time.
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Then, when asked what career objectives he has, Brown ignored the obvious Super Bowl line and set a realistic goal for this team—getting to the second round of the playoffs:
"Yeah, I can't even say win. I mean, everybody wants to win a Super Bowl, but you got to at least get to the second round of the playoffs. I think that's where we stand right now. Get into the first round, and let's see if we can get out of wild-card weekend and get to that second round."
Brown and the Panthers were close to making that a reality last season, as they nearly upended the heavily-favored Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round. But perhaps this budding offense, as well as a rising defense , could push Carolina at least one step further here in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers DT Derrick Brown's early MVP pick should come as no surprise
