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B+ QUARTERBACK: Matt Moore had by far his sharpest performance of the season, throwing for a career high 299 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He did a nice job of managing the game, even though he was off-target at times. He threw some tremendous deep balls late in the game, but missed wide-open Kenny Moore in the end zone on the two-point conversion try.
B+ RUNNING BACKS: The Panthers were without DeAngelo Williams for the final three quarters because of an ankle injury. But Jonathan Stewart ran extremely well, especially in the second half, becoming the first back in 36 games to run for more than 100 yards against Minnesota's defense. Tyrell Sutton had a nice 3-yard run for a first down near the goal line to set up a TD. Fullback Brad Hoover caught a touchdown pass, followed by a nice (well, sorta) celebratory gig on the sidelines.
A- RECEIVERS: This was the kind of game Steve Smith has been waiting for all season. He busted loose for a long touchdown and also had a 45-yard gain on a catch-and-run. Muhsin Muhammad made a couple of nice catches. Tight end Gary Barnidge broke free for a 55-yard reception. Jeff King missed a block contributing to a sack-fumble by Vikings' defensive end Jared Allen.
B OFFENSIVE LINE: The run blocking was spotty early, but got stronger as the game wore on against a strong Vikings' defensive line. There seemed to be a mix up in protection between left tackle Travelle Wharton and tight end King on Allen's sack. Guard Keydrick Vincent's holding call with 12 seconds left in the third quarter negated a 26-yard TD pass.
A DEFENSIVE LINE: The defensive line kept pressure on Minnesota's Brett Favre. Julius Peppers leaped on Favre's back to sack him for a 6-yard loss in the third quarter. He also hit Favre early to force an incompletion. Rookie end Everette Brown had a sack for a 9-yard loss in the first quarter.
A LINEBACKERS: James Anderson had perhaps his best game as a pro. He sacked Favre for an 8-yard loss, made a couple of big tackles on Adrian Peterson and batted down a third-quarter pass.
A DEFENSIVE BACKS: Dante Wesley sacked Favre and had a nice pass break-up. Safety Charles Godfrey forced a fumble that Chris Harris recovered. Harris also leaped to intercept Favre in the end zone late.
B- SPECIAL TEAMS: The Panthers did a good job keeping the ball out of the hands of return man Percy Harvin. Mostly, that meant short "pooch" kickoffs by Rhys Lloyd. Punter Jason Baker made a tackle to prevent a possible TD, the second time he's done so this season. One of Kasay's extra-point attempts was blocked.
A COACHING: The Panthers played with precision, especially on defense, and superior effort. That's a credit to the coaching staff considering the team is eliminated from the playoffs and was facing one of the NFC's top teams.
