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PANTHERS REPORT CARD
QUARTERBACK: C minus
To his credit, Jake Delhomme didn’t throw any interceptions despite facing intense pressure from the Vikings’ defense. But he fumbled three times, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Another was a fumbled snap.
RUNNING BACK: D minus
There wasn’t much room to run, but you can’t hand out good grades when the Panthers average 2.4 yards per carry and manage just 47 yards rushing. Also, Nick Goings admittedly missed a blitz pick up on the Vikings’ sack and fumble recovery for a touchdown near the end of the first half.
RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: C minus
The Panthers had troubling getting the ball to their receivers. Steve Smith started quickly with three catches for 60 yards in the first half, but had just one reception for 10 yards in the second half. Tight ends Dante Rosario and Jeff King had false start penalties on the same third-period possession.
OFFENSIVE LINE: D minus
The Vikings’ big defensive performance wasn’t solely the fault of the O-line, but the blockers didn’t have a good day. The Panthers couldn’t get their running game going and did a poor job pass protecting for Delhomme, who was sacked five times for losses totaling 34 yards. Left tackle Jordan Gross was penalized once for holding and twice for false starts. Rookie right tackle Jeff Otah was flagged twice for false starts.
DEFENSIVE LINE: C plus
This group continues to play better than expected. Julius Peppers had his first sack of the season, and Tyler Brayton and Charles Johnson each had half a sack. Brayton and Damione Lewis each had five tackles, including four solos. Darwin Walker batted down a pass.
LINEBACKERS: B minus
The linebackers combined with the defensive front to do a respectable job against Minnesota’s all-world running back Adrian Peterson, who gained 77 yards, averaged 4.5 yards per carry and didn’t have a gain longer than 14 yards (albeit, he was playing with a sore hamstring).
DEFENSIVE BACKS: C minus There were extreme highs and lows. The highs: Chris Gamble caused a fumble and intercepted a pass in the first period. Ken Lucas went high to knock down a pass. The lows: Rookie Charles Godfrey gave up a 48-yard pass to Bernard Berrian and appeared to be out of position on a touchdown pass three plays later.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Rookie Jonathan Stewart provided a big spark on kickoff returns, averaging 29.2 yards on five returns. And his best run-back of the day – to the Minnesota 14 – was called back by a penalty. Mark Jones did a respectable job returning punts. Jason Baker had three punts downed inside the 20 and forced the Vikings into three fair catches, resulting in no yards gained returning his five punts. Rhys Lloyd’s booming kickoffs (one touchback) continue to be a huge asset.
COACHING: D
In the game’s final 32 minutes, starting with the final two minutes of the first half, the Panthers had little spark. Halftime adjustments worked well last week against Chicago. Not so against the Vikings.
