Panthers report card vs. Baltimore: Stick it on the transcript, the Ivys are calling

Grading the Carolina Panthers for Sunday’s 36-21 victory over Baltimore:

A+ Quarterback: Cam Newton was stellar against the No. 2-ranked passing defense, completing 21 of his 29 attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Backup Taylor Heinicke made the most of a chaotic opportunity in the second quarter and got Carolina into field goal range.

A Running backs: Christian McCaffrey rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass, and Newton ran for a touchdown. Backup CJ Anderson made the most of his five carries, gaining 20 yards.

A Receivers: Other than a Jarius Wright drop on the Panthers’ first drive, Carolina’s receivers were excellent — particularly the young ones. DJ Moore had a career-high five catches for 90 yards.

A+ Offensive line: Baltimore’s pass-rush racked up 11 sacks two weeks ago against Tennessee, but Newton wasn’t sacked once on Sunday.

B- Defensive line: After a tough start to the day, when Baltimore scored on its first drive, the Panthers’ defensive line got some pressure. But Baltimore also had 101 rushing yards as the Panthers struggled to counter Lamar Jackon in the read-option early.

A Linebackers: Shaq Thompson had 13 tackles, Luke Kuechly had five.

A+ Secondary: This might have been the Carolina secondary’s best game of the season. Safety Mike Adams and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn each had an interception, and Donte Jackson recorded his first NFL sack. Jackson also shut down John Brown a week after Brown had a 134-yard game.

A Special teams: Carolina’s specialists were solid, but receiver Curtis Samuel was the player who shone on Sunday, downing two punts inside the 5.

A Coaching: Offensive coordinator Norv Turner called a stellar game and made a statement about the ability of his young playmakers. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington’s unit had perhaps their most complete performance of the year.

This story was originally published October 28, 2018 at 8:36 PM.