Panthers report card vs. Eagles: A fourth-quarter boost saves Carolina’s day
Grading the Carolina Panthers for Sunday’s 21-17 win at Philadelphia.
A Quarterback: Cam Newton’s fourth-quarter performance gives him quite the lift after three dull opening quarters. Newton threw for 269 yards, 201 of which were in the fourth quarter. He was 16 of 22 in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns.
B Running backs: Carolina rushed for 121 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per rush. A good chunk of that was Newton, who rushed for 49 yards on seven carries.
B Receivers: Carolina’s receivers stepped up big-time in the fourth quarter, but like the offense, struggled early. A few clutch catches by Devin Funchess (who also had four drops), Torrey Smith, Jarius Wright, Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey bring this grade up quite a bit.
B- Offensive line: The Panthers’ line had a couple of plays blown up in the first half. Halftime adjustments worked well, as Newton had more time to throw.
A Defensive line: Carolina held Philadelphia to 58 rushing yards and popped a crucial strip-sack to seal the victory in the fourth quarter.
B Linebackers: Luke Kuechly had 12 solo tackles. But the grade drops a little bit because Carolina struggled to contain the pass in the middle of the field, as Carson Wentz targeted his tight ends often.
D Secondary: As with the linebackers against tight ends, Carolina’s secondary also struggled. Cornerback James Bradberry gave up a touchdown against Alshon Jeffrey and also had a bad defensive pass interference penalty late in the fourth quarter that moved the Eagles 48 yards downfield.
D Special teams: Three penalties pushed the Panthers out of field goal range twice on consecutive drives. Graham Gano missed an extra point, but gets a little leniency considering the heavy wind on the field on Sunday.
C Coaching: Give some props to this staff for the management of the fourth quarter, first and foremost. But the defense is facing some serious issues that have yet to be shored up, and the offense through three quarters was sluggish and discombobulated. And why didn’t Carolina call a time out with Eagles driving and the clock running down at the end of the second quarter?