Grading the Carolina Panthers in their Week 5 win over the Atlanta Falcons
Few people would have predicted this, but the Panthers are winners of three straight. And even fewer expected them to lead the NFC South. But here we are.
The Panthers beat the Falcons on the road Sunday 23-16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here is this week’s report card:
Passing offense
A-minus: Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had a big day against the Falcons’ struggling pass defense. He had 262 yards passing in the first half alone and two passing touchdowns. It was Bridgewater’s best performance this season. Most of his throws were on target. He threw short and deep passes.
It definitely helped to have starting left tackle Russell Okung back. The offensive line was stout, giving Bridgewater plenty of time in the pocket to find his receivers. Bridgewater was never sacked.
Wide receivers Robby Anderson, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel all had big games. Anderson finished with eight catches for 112 yards. Moore finished with four catches for 93 yards, and a 57-yard touchdown. Samuel finished with five catches for 36 yards.
And running back Mike Davis, who is from Atlanta, caught nine passes for 60 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield.
Bridgewater wasn’t as good in the second half as he was in the first half. But he took care of the football, which mattered most in preserving the win.
Bridgewater finished with 313 yards passing, and completed 27 of 37 passes and two touchdowns.
Rushing offense
B: The Panthers rushing offense had its moments Sunday. Davis rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries and averaged 5.6 yards per carry. Samuel even got in on the action with a 17-yard rush up the middle in the fourth quarter. It was his longest rush of the season. He had four rushes for 28 yards.
They could have been better, but they didn’t run much in the first half. This was the third consecutive game without star running back Christian McCaffrey. Davis has played well in place of McCaffrey and has established himself as a good back who deserves playing time when McCaffrey returns.
Passing defense
A-minus: Considering the Falcons have some of the best wide receivers in the league, the Panthers held their own. The Falcons were without Julio Jones, which helped. But Matt Ryan was under pressure for much of the day.
Defensive end Brian Burns had a strip sack before his concussion. Safety Juston Burris had a key fourth-quarter interception in the end zone, which prevented the Falcons from tying the score.
Ryan completed 21 of 37 passes for 226 yards and an interception.
Rushing Defense
D: Yeah, the Panthers’ rushing defense was bad. Todd Gurley had 14 rushes for 121 yards and a 35-yard rushing touchdown. The Panthers were fortunate the Falcons forgot about him in the first half. He had only four rushes in the first half.
The Panthers struggled to bring him down.
Special teams
A: Panthers kicker Joey Slye was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts, and punter Joe Charlton had a punt fall inside the 10-yard line. The Panthers’ special teams didn’t make any mistakes Sunday. And while he didn’t have any big returns, return man Pharoh Cooper continues to be a bright spot for the Panthers.
Coaching
A: The Panthers made good decisions, had some nice play calls on offense and defense, and reduced the penalties that hurt them in Week 4.
That’s three consecutive wins for the Panthers, while playing with four rookies on defense, and without their best player in McCaffrey.
This story was originally published October 11, 2020 at 4:15 PM.
