Carolina Panthers' 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan gave a brutally honest answer when discussing his debut performance at Bank of America Stadium.

After a huge week three victory over their conference rivals in the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers' fanbase was ecstatic to see their team put up a dominant performance.

However, the franchise's star rookie in Teteairoa McMillan was not satisfied with his play in the team's most-recent win. 

When speaking to the media following the Panthers' victory on Sunday, McMillan gave a truthful response to reporters about his debut at Bank of America Stadium.

"It was average," McMillan claimed. "I definitely feel like I had a lot of missed opportunities out there. When opportunities come my way, it's my job to go out there an execute, and I feel like I failed to do that today at some times. I'm going to come back tomorrow and just get better and hopefully, throughout the week, just fix the mistakes that I made and what I could have done."

In addition to his blunt answer, McMillan also stated that he must make plays when the opportunity comes.

"The team relies on me to go out there and make plays when the opportunity comes, I have to make sure I go out and do that," McMillian added.

Despite having the worst statistical game of his NFL career in week three, McMillan managed to haul in three catches for 48 yards on eight targets. This sluggish performance compared to his pervious two games was partly due to the defense's success against the Falcons, which allowed for the Panthers to rely on the run game for the majority of the contest. Prior to the inner-division battle, McMillan had 11 catches for 168 yards, proving that he is quickly becoming quarterback Bryce Young's favorite target.

Luckily for the rising star, he will get a prime opportunity in week four to shine once again when Carolina takes on the New England Patriots.

The battle between two one-win teams on Sunday will be a true test for both Young and McMillan, as the Patriots' run defense could force head coach Dave Canales to rely on the passing game. New England's defense is currently ranks second in rushing yards allowed per game this season with 60.3 yards, while giving up an average of 256.3 passing yards per game.

Outside of McMillan, the Panthers' wide receiving core continues to struggle through the first three games of the 2025 season. Former 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette has been unable to find a consistent role on offense, leading to him only having four catches for eight yards in two games. And while veteran Hunter Renfrow had an explosive performance in week two against the Arizona Cardinals, the 29-year-old receiver has 11 catches for 65 yards.

If Carolina were to find success this week against the Patriots, the combination of Young and McMillan on offense must be on point this Sunday, especially with how well New England's defense does against the run.