NEW ORLEANS – Two-time Country Music Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs felt the same way as many other Carolina Panthers fans after the team’s 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on Sunday.

The Huntersville, North Carolina, native was blunt with his thoughts, writing on X shortly after Carolina suffered the worst opening loss in team history.

New year, same old @Panther. Absolutely awful watch.

— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) 8 September 2024

It almost sounds like the beginning of a country song.

Combs, who grew up a Panthers fan and lived about 20 minutes from Bank of America Stadium and often wears the team colors when appearing, should come as no surprise that he is frustrated. Earlier this year, he expressed his pain on social media with the message “WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?!?” after the team traded Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns to the New York Giants for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick, as well as a 2024 pick swap.

.@Panther WHAT ARE WE DOING?!?!? A few years ago there was no first round pick for McCaffrey and now there is no first round pick for Burns?!?! Are we just going to firebomb the whole team or what? I don’t usually comment on things like this, but at this point it’s just becoming slow torture.

— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) March 12, 2024

Carolina’s lack of pass rush against the Saints – and the team’s ability to make Derek Carr look like future Hall of Famer Drew Brees with three touchdown passes and a 142.5 passer rating – further fueled the negativity.

And the overall sense of hopelessness in Combs’ message on Sunday was understandable.

The Panthers trailed 10-0 less than six minutes into the game after dropping a 59-yard touchdown pass to a quarterback who hadn’t had one that long since 2021. That was followed by an interception by Bryce Young on his first play that set up a Saints field goal.

The score was 17-0 and 30-0 after one quarter until Carolina kicker Eddy Pineiro made a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

Ultimately, Carolina’s 37-point loss surpassed the 28-point defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the 2009 season, making it the fourth-largest defeat in franchise history.

New coach Dave Canales did not offer a timetable for a quick turnaround. When asked what he would say to Carolina fans frustrated after six straight losses and such a poor opening-game performance, he replied, “It’s a long road.”

“It’s a long road to become ourselves,” Canales said. “I knew it didn’t matter if we started 4-0 or 0-4, whatever it might be. What I did know was that it was going to take a long time to become ourselves. I just can’t help but believe that you have to go through adversity to become who you’re going to be.”

Wide receiver Adam Thielen seemed to agree with Combs that there was nothing positive about the day.

“It’s a negative thing,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s the reality. It can be a positive thing if you turn it into one, but you have to take it lightly, you have to be mentally strong and you have to come at it with a sense of urgency.”

“We’ve taken a good beating. So let’s find a way.”

This was apparently what Combs was hoping for on Sunday, which led to his disappointed message to X.