By Chris Lea, WRAL-TV sports anchor/reporter

I’ve been in the Carolina Panthers locker room after losses countless times in the past.

Going into a locker room full of guys who just lost a football game is one of the toughest things about this job. Fans and viewers want reactions from their favorite players and they want their questions answered. But as you could imagine, after a tough loss, not many people want to be questioned by outsiders with cameras, microphones and lights in their faces.

That wasn’t the case today for the Carolina Panthers.

The Cincinnati Bengals got their first win of the season, beating the Panthers in Charlotte 34-24. The result was the same that we’ve been used to, but it felt distinctly different than normal. You can tell that this team is on the upswing and has the motivation to continue to fight.

A loss is a loss, but Sunday’s game felt like the Panthers self-inflicted mistakes cost them the competitive contest and not the Bengals running away with it like prior Panthers losses.

On the first drive of the game, head coach Dave Canales decided to go for it on 4th & goal right at the goal line. Turnover on downs.

On their next drive, Andy Dalton’s pass attempt was tipped from behind, resulting in a wobbly, floating ball which easily landed in the hands of Bengals safety Von Bell. The Bengals scored their first touchdown off the short field right after.

The game was tied 7-7 when the Bengals took a 14-7 lead on a four play, 81 yard drive. 63 of those yards came when three Panthers failed to tackle Ja’Marr Chase, breaking him free to put the Bengals back on top.

At the end of the first half, the score was 14-14 when Nick Scott missed a tackle on Zack Moss which would’ve ended the half. Instead, Moss scored a touchdown with :01 left in the second quarter to give the Bengals a 21-14 halftime lead.

In the locker room and on the podium, these three incidents, plus a few dropped passes and other missed opportunities came up from a team that was ready, willing and eager to talk to the media after a loss. Coach Canales and his team feel like they let the game slip from their grasp. They see Sunday’s game as one they will get better from because they’re learning how to win together.

That might sound like poppycock to anyone who has seen this team be historically bad over the last few seasons, but as someone who is in that locker room and covers that team, this reaction contrasts from the dejected, sulking locker room I’m used to.

As Kobe Bryant said, “If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will do it for you”.

I don’t believe the Panthers are a playoff team this year, but I do believe we are watching a team that is figuring it out before our eyes, and if they stick with a plan, could become a winning team again soon.

Buckle up for the journey.

Source: wralsportsfan.com