Panthers grades vs. Washington: Special teams unit goes from valedictorian to ...
Grading the Carolina Panthers for Sunday’s game at Washington:
B- Quarterback: Cam Newton put together an excellent comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, completing 14 of 15 pass attempts (including a touchdown pass to Torrey Smith) before three straight incompletions to end the game that were not all on Newton. But the end zone fade to Christian McCaffrey is a pass Newton can absolutely make. On an interception in the first half, Newton was hit and the ball was underthrown — but he admitted after the game he did try to force the pass.
D Running backs: Carolina struggled to get into a rhythm on the ground, finishing with just 81 net rushing yards.
B Receivers: An excellent, Randy Moss-esque touchdown grab by Devin Funchess, a clutch five-catch series (including a touchdown and a 2-point conversion) by Smith and the solid play of tight end Greg Olsen lifts up a DJ Moore fumble.
B- Offensive line: Newton was kept mostly clean but run blocking wasn’t consistent. Newton was flushed backward before a fumble, which left guard Greg Van Roten recovered. But Van Roten appeared to be in the right spot to recover it only because he had been pushed backward.
C Defensive line: Carolina’s pass-rush appeared to be more explosive this week. But the front seven also struggled at times with running back Adrian Peterson, who racked up 97 yards.
B Linebackers: Thomas Davis returned from a four-game suspension and defensed two passes. Luke Kuechly once again led the team in tackles with nine, including two for a loss and a sack. Shaq Thompson also recorded a sack.
C Secondary: The Panthers struggled to contain Washington’s tight ends, and allowed a wide-open Vernon Davis to score one play after Washington recovered a fumble. Veteran safety Mike Adams was a bright spot, incuding batting down a crucial third-down pass that held Washington to a field goal and gave Carolina a chance.
F Special teams: Early mistakes were costly. Moore fumbled a punt return, there were three first-half special teams penalties and placekicker Graham Gano missed a PAT just a week after hitting a 63-yard game-winner.
D Coaching: Newton says the Panthers are better when they start fast, but five consecutive run plays to open the game did not give Carolina an early edge. Following that, Carolina went conservative by opting out of grabbing possible momentum on a fourth-and-1 in the first half on their 47. Three pass plays in a row, all incomplete, were called from the 16 with the game on the line and 5 yards needed for a first down.
This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 8:18 PM.