Texans vs. Panthers: Carolina Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Carolina Panthers survived a late scare and held on to beat the Houston Texans 24-17 in their home opener at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.
After consecutive wins against the AFC South, the Panthers now sit at 2-0 for only the sixth time in franchise history. In four of the previous instances, they ended up making the playoffs, including both last season and in their Super Bowl season of 2003.
Despite the absence of defensive stalwarts Luke Kuechly and Star Lotulelei, the Panthers defense held strong, limiting the Texans to 300 yards of total offense, including just 61 yards on the ground. While the offense started slow, the defense kept the Panthers in the game.
And then in the second half, when the Panthers defense slipped a bit, Cam Newton took over the show.
Newton was his usual average self in the passing game, completing 18 of 37 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, albeit with an interception on a dropped pass by Kevin Norwood. Newton hooked up with both of his deep threats, Ted Ginn Jr. and Philly Brown, on long 20-plus-yard touchdown passes, coming back to them after drops and showing faith in his receivers.
But it was with his legs that Newton made his biggest impact. The signal-caller was the Panthers’ leading rusher, picking up 76 yards on 10 carries and scoring on one of the most exciting touchdowns you will ever see, hitting a complete flip and nearly sticking the landing as he plowed into the end zone.
It was reflective of the game as a whole—when the offense sputtered or struggled, it turned to Cam. When you have a quarterback who can do the sorts of things Newton does with his legs, you can cover up for a lot of deficiencies elsewhere. That was the story of the day.
The rest of the game was an ugly defensive slog. The teams combined for 20 penalties, with both defenses clearly better than the offenses. Still, the Panthers offensive line did a good job against the best defensive player in football, J.J. Watt.
Watt continued his sack streak—now with a sack in seven straight games—but Mike Remmers and Company did a decent job keeping him in check or at least as in check as you’re ever going to keep him.
After a missed field goal, the Texans had a chance to win the game on a final drive, but Ryan Mallett’s pass toward DeAndre Hopkins in the back of the end zone was misfired, allowing Carolina to hold on and win.
Let’s take a deeper dive into some of the stories and highlights of the victory.
Grades
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Position | Grade |
QB | A- |
RB | B |
WR | C |
TE | B+ |
OL | A- |
DL | B |
LB | B |
DB | B- |
Special Teams | C- |
Coaching | A |
Quarterbacks
Newton’s passing will go on the stat sheet as an average day, as he hit just 18 of 37 passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. However, the interception and many of the incompletions were not his fault, thanks to dropped passes and tips by his receivers.
What propels him into an A-range, however, is his contribution on the ground—his 76 yards rushing led both teams, and he was responsible for all three Carolina touchdowns.
Running Backs
We’ve yet to see the Jonathan Stewart from the end of last season, but he and Mike Tolbert were effective enough Sunday, combining for 23 carries and 96 yards. Tolbert also added a seven-yard reception to his tally on the day.
Wide Receivers
Newton kept feeding his receivers despite early struggles. Both Ted Ginn and Philly Brown dropped passes early on, but Newton hit them both for 20-plus-yard touchdown passes later. Brown had the best day—he caught three of his four targets for 57 yards and a touchdown, albeit most of it came on the one 36-yard strike.
Tight Ends
Newton targeted Greg Olsen early and often, and the 30-year-old ended up with six receptions for 70 yards when he wasn’t asked to help in pass protection. It was a far cry from the one-reception game he had last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars and proof that sometimes you can overanalyze a player’s performance or lack thereof when you’re looking at a one-game sample size.
Offensive Line
We’re definitely grading on a curve here, considering the Texans still did record a couple of sacks and a handful more hits on Cam Newton, but Mike Remmers and Company won the battle with J.J. Watt’s unit. With more than five yards per carry on the ground, they got enough of a push for the Panthers offense to stay on schedule more often than not.
Defensive Line
The Texans couldn’t get a push against the Panthers' front, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. Dwan Edwards added a sack, and Mario Addison and Colin Cole got significant pressure as well.
It’s worth noting that Kony Ealy committed a couple of key penalties to keep the Texans’ final drive alive, and neither he nor Charles Johnson had a particularly strong day against a mediocre and injured Texans offensive line. Still, they more than did their job.
Linebackers
Thomas Davis led the team with nine tackles and a pass defensed, and A.J. Klein had a key interception to set up Carolina’s go-ahead touchdown. Shaq Thompson had a strong game as well; with Luke Kuechly still in concussion protocol, Thompson stayed in during nickel packages and flashed the coverage skills that made him a college star.
Klein did give up a touchdown pass to Garrett Graham, but it was more of a perfect throw and catch than anything Klein did wrong.
Defensive Backs
It was definitely a quieter day for Josh Norman and Company, with no turnovers against a quarterback making only his third career start. They limited him to 244 yards passing, however, and Bene Benwikere had an interception bounce out of his hands.
They did struggle a little with the Texans’ top receivers, with both Nate Washington and DeAndre Hopkins topping 50 yards. That will be something to watch against the New Orleans Saints next week. However, considering that Washington and Hopkins were targeted 19 times, that’s not a bad day overall.
Special Teams
Well, Brad Nortman had a good day, averaging 53.9 yards per punt with only one touchback. Fozzy Whittaker had a key 33-yard kickoff return, Ted Ginn was solid on punts and Houston didn’t have much going in the return game. For the second consecutive week, however, the Panthers had a field-goal attempt blocked. That’s something the team needs to improve going forward.
Coaching
While some questioned head coach Ron Rivera’s decision to attempt a 53-yard field goal, the numbers indicate it was the right decision—it would have essentially ended the game right then and there had the field goal been good, and kickers have made field goals of that length 62 percent of the time. The fact it didn’t work doesn’t change the fact that it was the right call. Rivera also won a challenge on the day.
Offensive Line Passes the Test
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J.J. Watt had his sack, but all in all, it was a good day for the Panthers’ much-maligned offensive line.
The Texans did put up two sacks and six quarterback hits on Cam Newton, but when your defense boasts the likes of Watt, Vince Wilfork and Jadeveon Clowney, that’s still an impressive performance.
In addition, the Panthers ran the ball very well, picking up 172 yards on the ground. Yes, quite a bit of that was due to scrambles and improvisation by Cam Newton, but even taking him out of the picture, the Panthers had 96 yards rushing, averaging 4.2 yards per carry with Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert carrying the load.
A week after the Kansas City Chiefs and star running back Jamaal Charles could only average 3.0 yards per carry, that’s a stat the offensive line can hang its hat on.
Ron Rivera praised the offensive line after the game, per Black and Blue Review. Rivera said he was “proud” of how it played. Its members have a reason to hold their heads high.
Had they lost their battle with that ferocious defense, the Panthers would have not won this football game. Instead, they managed to fight Watt to a draw and hold the rest of the line in check. There’s plenty of room there for the players to be pleased with their performance.
Panthers Dodge Injury Woes
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Several Panthers exited the game in the first half only to re-emerge later.
The most notable was Jerricho Cotchery. Blocking for a Philly Brown screen, Cotchery had Ed Dickson roll up on his lower leg, causing a knee or ankle injury. Cotchery was having significant issues putting weight on his right leg and ended up having to be carted into the locker room.
While he was originally listed as questionable, thoughts immediately went to the worst-case scenario. The 33-year-old looked in significant pain as he was helped off the field, and when you leave on a cart, you rarely return. The Panthers already have enough issues at wide receiver with Kelvin Benjamin out for the year; the last thing they needed was for their top veteran receiver to be down and out.
Surprisingly, however, whatever the Panthers training staff did in the locker room worked, and Cotchery returned to the game in the second quarter just as the Panthers offense began to gain momentum. The wide receiver even made an impressive cut on a reception in the second quarter, showing no significant impact from the injury.
The Panthers also saw starting guard Trai Turner and cornerback Charles Tillman leave the game in the first half, only to return shortly thereafter. Against the ferocious defensive line of Houston, the Panthers couldn’t afford to lose Turner for a significant period of time, and indeed, he came back on quickly afterward.
It’s easy to imagine the game spiraling out of control, with the Panthers missing two key players on offense. Significant injuries to either player could have slowed down an offense that already wasn’t the strength of Carolina’s team. Fortunately, both players got off the deck and were able to continue playing.
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Yet Another Slow Offensive Start
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Perhaps the Panthers should tell the offense the game starts about half an hour earlier than scheduled. For the second straight week—six weeks in a row if you include the preseason—the Panthers offense was nearly nonexistent in the first quarter.
The Panthers put up 41 yards of total offense in the first quarter, punting three times, picking up just one first down. Cam Newton was just 4-of-10 for just seven yards, and the rushing game was similarly ineffective. This changed as the game went on, but three quarters of offense may not be enough as the schedule picks up in the middle of the year.
This is not a one-week situation. Last week against Jacksonville, the Panthers had just 65 yards of total offense. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason, they had 77. The New England Patriots limited them to 58. The Miami Dolphins held them to just eight total yards, and the Buffalo Bills held them to 16.
Suffice it to say, that’s not very good. The Panthers defense has similarly limited its opponents to slow starts, hence the 2-0 record to open the season. Against a more powerful offensive team, the Panthers’ slow start could end up biting them.
Carolina's whole offensive shtick involves power running with Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart; it doesn't have the aerial weapons to mount a massive comeback. It needs to keep pace with its opponents and not let the game situation spiral out of control. So far, the defense has bailed the offense out of its slow starts. It’s not something the team wants to count on going forward, however.
Ron Rivera: 'We Made Something Happen'
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In his postgame press conference, Rivera noted that the team had its ups and downs, mentioning there were mistakes and missed chances both on offense and defense. Overall, however, he had to be pleased with the win:
"We kept fighting and we did the things that we needed to do to win at the right time. In this league, when you win, it’s a big deal, it really is. It doesn’t matter how or when or where. To me, the big thing, more than anything else, is we came through this, we fought through this, and we made something happen.
"
That’s a fairly accurate way to put this outcome. There were opportunities for the Panthers, on offense and defense, to do more.
There were drops by the receivers, there were penalties wiping out key defensive stops and there were special teams miscues. However, when the team needed plays the most, it pulled them out—whether that was pressure forcing Ryan Mallett to commit intentional grounding late or a beautiful throw back across the field to Greg Olsen on a crucial 3rd-and-2 in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers made more plays than the Texans did, and that’s why they’re walking out of this one at 2-0.
Cam Newton: 'My Heart Was in My Socks'
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Cam Newton’s somersaulting touchdown should get plenty of play on highlight shows around the country, but it also had to be a nerve-wracking moment for the Panthers and their fans. After all, that’s the $100 million franchise quarterback being flung into the air like a rag doll; it’s fortunate he landed safely and unharmed.
Newton himself was nervous, according to ESPN’s David Newton, who quoted Cam Newton as saying, “I just know my heart was in my socks.”
The quarterback went on to talk about how the coaching staff thought Houston would be vulnerable to some quarterback runs and added that “seeing successful QB runs is just an added dimension; it makes the defense play 11 guys, not just 10,” per the Panthers’ Twitter account.
That is the unique weapon the Panthers have. There are other running quarterbacks in the league—Russell Wilson in Seattle and Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco to name just two. They’re almost all scramblers, however; Newton’s the best quarterback in football when it comes to power rushing. It’s a wrinkle the Panthers have that other teams can’t quite match, and it gives a spark to an offense that definitely needs one.
Ted Ginn on Recovering from Mistakes
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Ted Ginn started the game poorly, having a bad drop on a third down in the second quarter on a pass that hit him right in the hands with plenty of room to run. It was a continuation of the storyline that has plagued the Panthers so far through the preseason and regular season—the ability—or lack thereof—of the wide receivers to catch passes.
After that start, though, Ginn picked things up. He had a nice 25-yard touchdown catch, making a great double move to get himself open. On special teams, he contributed with punt returns of 11, 16 and 17 yards, helping keep the field-position battle in Carolina’s favor. All in all, he contributed 85 all-purpose yards, which is a fairly nice day all things considered.
After the game, Ginn was asked if the touchdown catch helped restore his confidence, but he denied that there were any issues, according to the Black and Blue Review's Tim Durr.
“[My confidence] was never really shaky," he said. "I’ve been in this league for a while, and you have ups and downs. It gives more confidence to my team that you can go through trials and tribulations and be able to come back and make a play for your team.”
Ginn and Philly Brown both came back from early struggles to contribute for the Panthers in this game. Carolina will need both of them to continue to do that as it seeks its third consecutive playoff berth, and whether Ginn and Brown admit it or not, a good day like this should boost their confidence and the Panthers’ confidence in them.
Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.
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