Marco Wilson had not played an NFL game this season until Thursday night, and he finished it as the Carolina Panthers’ leading tackler. The cornerback, called up from the practice squad for the game at Green Bay, made eight tackles and broke up two passes in the 27-19 loss to the Packers. Afterward, he described the weeks before it. “The last few weeks, it’s the same. It was hell,” Wilson said. “Like, I’m on the couch wondering if I’m ever going to play football again. I started thinking about life after football, all while still trying to stay ready to still play football.”
“I don’t think many people have been in these shoes, and the guys that have been in those shoes to understand how mentally and physically challenging that is,” he said. “But all you gotta do is just trust God at the end of the day, trust his plan, trust what he has for me, and just follow it.”
Wilson, a fourth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 out of Florida, has 37 career starts and is in his sixth season. Carolina needed him. Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson and Akayleb Evans are on injured reserve, and rookie Will Lee III was carted off with a hamstring injury in the second quarter.
“I could have broke out in tears”
Asked if he ever thought his career was over, Wilson said: “I think it’s insane for me to truly feel like that, knowing my ability and knowing what I’m capable of. I knew it could be a possibility because this business, you know, anything can happen. But at the end of the day, I know what I still have in me as a player, so I just didn’t go there completely.”
On getting back on the field, he said: “I just felt super blessed, like super happy. I could have broke out in tears. I pray for situations like this and God answered my prayers.” He said he caught up quickly because of his experience: “Being in year six and starting three years in the NFL, also with a similar scheme, it was pretty easy. Not easy, but it was just clean cut for me to be able to jump in a situation like this without it feeling too hectic.” He said he would study his mistakes: “It’s really my first game back in a while. It’s a lot of technique things I could fix on.”
Chuba Hubbard: “Pissed off, to be honest”
The Panthers fell to 3-4 with their second straight loss. Running back Chuba Hubbard ran 22 times for 81 yards and a touchdown and caught seven passes for 38 yards, and he did not hide his mood. “Pissed off, to be honest,” he said. “I just know what we can be as a team. And if we play to our best, we can play with anybody. I truly believe that. And when we don’t, it sucks. It pisses you off because you know we’re better than that, and I take it on myself.”
He also said there is no reason to panic. “It’s game seven. This isn’t panic mode,” Hubbard said. “This isn’t the ship sinking or anything, it’s just get back to what we know.” Carolina’s defense forced two turnovers, but the offense turned them into only three points. “Shout out to the defense. I thought the defense played great,” he said. “When you get opportunities like those, you got to make the most of them. That’s how you put a team away.” After his 1-yard touchdown run, Hubbard did a Lambeau Leap. “We joked about it a little bit before,” he said.
Derrick Brown: “We’re not gonna explode from the inside out”
Defensive tackle Derrick Brown was asked about the team being down to its fifth and sixth cornerbacks. “It’s tough. I’m not quite sure what happened to Will yet, but it’s part of the game,” he said. “We got guys that can come in and play.” He repeated coach Dave Canales’ message that the team must stay together. “We’re not gonna explode from the inside out, right? We’re gonna stay together,” Brown said. “We’re gonna figure it out inside, right, inside our house. We don’t need to do all the talking and all this other stuff.” He would not blame the offense: “I’m not pointing blame at them, man.”
Guard Robert Hunt said the Packers’ pressure “schemed us up a little bit.” “Just wasn’t a good performance, man. It sucks,” he said. “We got to pick up blitz, you know what I mean? We got to protect better.”
Bryce Young: “That’s on me”
Quarterback Bryce Young was 23 of 41 for 209 yards, with a touchdown pass to Jalen Coker and an interception, and he was sacked six times. He had been listed on the injury report this week with a knee issue. “I’m fine,” he said. “Nothing like that is an excuse.”
Young gave the Packers credit. “They executed better. A lot of stuff was on film, but they do a really good job, good job disguising. They’re a good defense,” he said. “They were better than us today for sure. They deserve that win.” Carolina had the ball twice late with a chance to tie, and Young took the blame for not turning that into points. He said he wanted to make sure “that chance turns into something,” and added: “That’s on me.” He said: “We just got to finish better. That’s what we hang our hat on.”
The Panthers have a long break before they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m. ET, which is 8:00 p.m. in Cairo.
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