Panthers Report Card: How did Carolina do in its first test of the NFL regular season?
Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Panthers offense nearly won their home opener on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Carolina rallied for 17-second half points and two total Mayfield touchdowns before taking its first lead with less than 90 seconds to play.
But even that was not enough, as the Browns marched 35 yards in one minute and nailed a game-winning 58-yard field goal from rookie Cade York.
The Browns’ two running backs, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, were just too good Sunday, and Cleveland beat the Panthers 26-24.
The Panthers (0-1) have lost eight consecutive games, the longest active streak in pro football.
Here are the grades:
Rushing offense
F: The Panthers struggled to establish their running game and they can only blame themselves for that. The Browns’ strength is not the interior of their defensive line, yet Carolina was held to 2.8 yards per carry.
Christian McCaffrey earned just 10 rushes, gaining 33 yards.
It was a puzzling game plan, one that generated no early momentum as the team said it started way too slow.
The team did have success in the fourth quarter running inside-run RPOs (run-pass option). Carolina is built to run the football. Guards Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett are effective downhill blockers. Center Bradley Bozeman opened running lanes for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens before joining Carolina this offseason.
Quick-hitting inside runs should be a staple of this offense.
Passing offense
C+: Mayfield completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes, but he finished strong. In the fourth quarter, he completed five of six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Seventy-five yards came on one play via Robbie Anderson burning a blown coverage for six points. The next series Mayfield drilled a 20-plus yard completion across the middle to D.J. Moore.
The Panthers’ passing game started coming alive very late in game. It should only get better next week.
Passing defense
B+: The stat sheet suggests the Panthers secondary played very well. The Browns’ leading receiver, Donovan Peoples-Jones, caught six passes for 60 yards. The next-leading Cleveland receiver was a running back (Hunt). Pro Bowler Amari Cooper caught just three of his six targets for 17 yards.
But the pass defense was not perfect. Two of Jones’ catches came on third down. One helped Cleveland cross midfield on the game’s final drive.
The strength of the Panthers defense is its secondary. Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, C.J. Henderson, Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods may need to play perfectly if the team does not shore up its run defense or pass rush.
Rushing defense
F: Football is usually decided in the trenches. Whichever team can effectively run and adequately protect the quarterback usually win.
The Panthers did not commit to running the ball nor could they stop the Browns running game. Carolina’s front seven will be questioned all week ahead of facing the Giants and Saquon Barkley, who looked remade in New York’s one-point victory in Tennessee. Barkley gained 164 yards on 18 carries.
Special teams
C: Special teams was a mixed bag. New kicker Eddy Pineiro nailed a go-ahead kick with under 90 seconds to play. He also made all three of his extra points.
His lone blunder came on a late second-half kickoff when he drew it out of bounds. The Browns started from the 40-yard line and only had to travel 52 yards to knock in a 26-yard field to end the half.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
