Panthers vs. Eagles: Final Grades and Analysis for Carolina's Week 12 Game

The Carolina Panthers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 30-22 in the final game of Week 12. 

The victory saw the Panthers improve to 3-8, which happens to be the same record that the Eagles currently own. 

It's safe to say that both fanbases are dejected at this point, as each team is in the midst of a nightmare season. 

Let's take a look at the Panthers' final game grades and evaluations. 

Cam Newton- A+

Final Game Grade: A+

Cam Newton dominated this football game, as he compiled four touchdowns overall. This was the first time in Newton's career that he threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two as well.

Overall, Newton completed 18 of his 28 attempts for 306 yards while also carrying the ball 14 times for 52 yards. 

While Cam was inaccurate at times, it's almost impossible to criticize him for this performance. He paced the Panthers throughout the game and made the plays that his team needed to win. 

Fourth Quarter: B+

Cam Newton got the job done in the fourth quarter, as he finally was able to run out the clock as the leader of the Panthers offense. 

Newton ran for his second touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, which in turn put the Panthers up by eight points. 

When it was needed, Cam threw some fine passes to move the chains. That included the game's finally actual play, when Newton rolled out and found Mike Tolbert to move the chains one final time. 

Third Quarter: C+

While Cam Newton has had problems with his accuracy in the pocket, he has had little trouble beating the Eagles with his feet. 

On the Panthers first drive of the third quarter, he carried the ball four times, with the last of those attempts resulting in a touchdown. Cam has been involved in each of Carolina's touchdowns through three quarters, as he is always the focal point of the offense. 

Newton escaped a sack that no other quarterback in the league could have, as he spun out of two sure tackles and gained three yards. Cam is never going to be the prototypical pocket quarterback, but he cannot rely on his legs all the time. 

In the NFL, quarterbacks must be able to make big plays with their arm from the pocket on a consistent basis. Newton is still working on reaching that point. 

Second Quarter: C-

Cam Newton threw a dangerous pass to Brandon LaFell on the Panthers' second drive of the quarter. On the throw, Newton attempted to force the ball but was almost picked off by DominiqueRodgers-Cromartie.

As Newton continues to progress as a passing quarterback, he should cut the majority of those decisions out of his game. By forcing the ball, Newton is giving the defenders a chance to make a play. The players that compete on defense are too talented to let Newton get away with mistakes like that often. 

On the Panthers final drive of the second quarter, Newton threw two passes to LaFell that were inaccurate which doomed the drive. 

After a spectacular first quarter, Newton laid an egg in the second. Not surprisingly, the Panthers entire team struggled along with Cam in the second quarter. 

First Quarter: A+

Cam Newton was perfect during the Carolina Panthers first drive, as he completed all three of his pass attempts for 47 yards and a touchdown. 

The Philadelphia Eagles coverage has been virtually non-existent, as Cam Newton has had no problems finding wide-open receivers down the field. 

Newton is on course for his best game of the season, as he had already thrown for two touchdowns with 3:36 left in the first quarter. 

Cam's performance in the first quarter was excellent, although the Eagles secondary did not offer up much of a resistance. 

Offense- B

Final Game Grade: B

The Carolina Panthers offense averaged 6.1 yards per play, which was actually less than what the Philadelphia Eagles offense compiled. 

However, the Panthers never turned the ball over, while the Eagles offense fumbled the ball away twice. 

Cam Newton stole the show on offense in this game, as he made every big play that the Panthers needed. 

In a game in which the running game didn't get going, the offense till managed to convert on 50 percent of their third downs. 

The Panthers make-shift offensive line managed to play pretty well, which was all they needed to pull out the victory. 

Fourth Quarter: A

The Panthers opened up the fourth quarter on the Eagles 24-yardline and quickly completed a 12-yard pass to tight end Greg Olsen. 

The Eagles defense held strong from there, as they tackled Cam Newton on two runs and forced an incompletion to force the Panthers to settle for a field goal. While the field goal gave Carolina the lead, it is never good to stall out inside the 10-yardline. 

On the next drive, Newton found Smith on the first play for a 31-yard completion. The dart from Cam was reminiscent of last season, when Newton and Smith were one of the league's most lethal combinations. 

On a huge 3rd-and-10, the Panthers ran an option play that saw Mike Tolbert take an inside pitch for a 12-yard gain. That first down set Carolina up to go up by two scores, which would have happened after Newton ran in his second touchdown, but Graham Gano missed the extra point. 

The Panthers offense finally managed to close out a game, as they picked up enough first downs to run out the clock. 

Third Quarter: C

On the Panthers second play of the quarter, Cam Newton underthrew Louis Murphy, who still managed to haul in the pass despite being interfered with. Newton owes Murphy lunch, as the ex-Oakland Raider made up for Newton's underthrow. 

The read-option is no longer working, as the Eagles defensive line is now controlling the line of scrimmage. 

With Newton's accuracy still a question, the Panthers need to ensure that they put him in favorable down and distance situations. 

The Panthers offense has been most successful when Newton is using his feet, as he converted two first downs on the ground on their first drive of the third quarter. While Cam's legs should be utilized, they won't be enough to lead the Panthers to NFL relevancy. 

Newton finished off the drive with a diving touchdown run, which gave the Panthers a six-point lead.

Their opening drive of the quarter was their most impressive because they had to move the ball 95-yards to find the endzone. 

After the touchdown drive, the Panthers offense failed to convert another first down in the quarter. 

Second Quarter: C-

The Panthers offense was shut out in the second quarter, which in turn allowed the Eagles to take the lead heading into the half. 

Carolina only recorded three first downs in the quarter, as the Eagles defense has adjusted the the read-option. 

Cam Newton missed a trio of open receivers, with two of those misses coming when he was looking for Brandon LaFell. 

The only positive that can be taken from this quarter for the offense is that they did not turn the ball over. 

First Quarter: A+ 

The Carolina Panthers got Steve Smith involved early, as he caught two passes on the first drive for 24 yards. On his second reception, Smith eclipsed the 11-thousand yard receiving mark for his career. 

The Panthers offense had a sensational opening drive, as the read option is actually working against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The drive culminated in a touchdown, as Cam Newton hit Gary Barnridge down the right-seam for an easy 24-yard completion.  

Jonathan Stewart ran the ball three times for 23 yards in the first quarter. If Stewart continues to run the ball so well, then he will get the ball more often as the game continues. 

Defense- B-

Final Game Grade: B-

The Carolina Panthers defense was aided by two Bryce Brown fumbles, although they deserve the credit for forcing and recovering them. Charles Johnson, Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly each contributed to those fumbles in one way or another and should be praised for their continued hard work. 

Safety Sherrod Martin was all over the field, as he compiled seven tackles, two pass deflections and a handful of big hits. 

The Panthers defense was excellent on third down, as the Eagles only converted on 25 percent of those attempts. 

Carolina's defense did just enough to win this game, which is all you need to do in the NFL. 

Fourth Quarter: B+

The Panthers defenders have wisely been ordered to try to force a fumble whenever Bryce Brown carries the ball. 

Frank Alexander made the biggest stop of the game, as he stopped Bryce Brown short of a first down on a crucial 4th-and-1 with 8:35 left in the game. 

Carolina's defense did not come back on the field after that stop, as the Panthers offense dominated the game and the special teams unit recovered a fumble on a kickoff. 

Third Quarter: B-

Luke Kuechly came up with the first turnover of the game, as he recovered a Bryce Brown fumble. 

Haruki Nakamrua was flagged for defensive pass interference call, as he was jostling with Jeremy Maclin. The penalty was for 50-yards and gave the Eagles a first-and-goal from the five-yardline. 

After a slow third quarter due the Panthers offense dominating the ball, the defense committed a crippling penalty and quickly surrendered the lead. 

At the end of the third quarter, Brown fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Thomas Davis. 

Since the first quarter, the Eagles offense has moved the ball against Carolina without much trouble. However, the Panthers defense did force two turnovers in the quarter, which has kept them in the game. 

Second Quarter: D-

The Panthers defense allowed the Eagles to sustain a couple of drives that ended in points in two of their first three drives. However, Carolina forced field goals on each occasion as they bent but did not break. 

Bryce Brown has hurt the Panthers far more than Nick Foles, as Brown broke a 65-yard touchdown run. On the run, Brown took the ball right and found a hole to the outside, once he found open space, Brown outran the Panthers defense. 

If the Panthers run defense cannot contain Brown, then this game will likely be a back-and-forth contest until the final whistle. 

Josh Norman almost took a Foles pass attempt for a pick-six, but he was an instant late and could not come up with the interception. 

The Eagles put 12 points on the board in the second quarter, as the Panthers run defense has been made a mockery of in the first half. 

Brown carried the ball eight times for 133 yards in the first half, which is an average of 16.6 yards per rush. 

Carolina's defense forced the Eagles to go three-and-out on their final drive of the half, but that was not enough to make up for the poor quarter prior. 

The Panthers dropped three potential interceptions, which is something that winning football teams do not do. 

First Quarter: B

The Philadelphia Eagles offense is starting five first-year players against the Carolina Panthers, which should prove to be a serious advantage for the Panthers. 

On his first two rushing attempts of the game, Eagles rookie running back Bryce Brown's picked up two first downs. 

After a couple errant throws by Nick Foles, the Panthers forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal. 

On the Eagles first drive, Foles completed three of his five passes for 40 yards. Even more than that success, it is clear that the speedy Eagles receivers are gong to be able to get open against the Panthers young secondary. 

The Panthers defense forced the Eagles offense to go three-and-out on their second drive, as a Greg Hardy sack on second down doomed Philly's drive. Hardy's first sack of the evening was his eighth in his last nine games. 

On the Eagles next drive, Hardy was flagged for Unnecessary Roughness when he flatted tight end Brent Celek. 

The Panthers defense surrendered 100 yards in the opening quarter, but they ended the first frame with an 11-point lead so all is well .

Special Teams: C

Final Game Grade: C

This game was a mixed bag from the special teams unit, as there were highs and lows. 

Graham Gano missed an extra point, which is inexcusable at any point, but especially so when the conversion would have put the Panthers up by two scores. 

Gano's error was forgiven when Eagles kickoff returner Brandon Boykin fumbled and Carolina recovered. Without the fumble recovery, this grade would have been much lower. 

Fourth Quarter: B-

Graham Gano made his first field goal as a Carolina Panthers, as he converted on a 23-yard attempt. 

Whatever can go wrong for the Panthers special teams unit continued to go wrong, as Gano missed an extra point that would have but Carolina up by two scores. Instead, the miss allowed the Eagles to stay within striking distance late in the quarter. 

However, it must be remembered that the Eagles are even more of a nightmare, as Brandon Boykin fumbled the ball after an excellent kick off return. The Panthers jumped on the ball, which marked their best special teams play of the season. 

Third Quarter: C-

Armanti Edwards only managed to take the opening kickoff of the half to the Panthers 10-yard line, although they were pushed back five yards after Mike Tolbert was flagged for clipping. This is just another example of the special temas unit putting the offense in another difficult position. 

On his second return of the quarter, Edwards fared far better as he took the ball to the Panthers 32-yardline before being tackled 

Second Quarter: D

Brad Nortman's first punt of the evening was lackluster, as it netted just 30-yards. If he continues to perform poorly, then Nortman will likely find himself replaced like Justin Medlock last week. 

The Panthers punt return coverage almost allowed another game-changing play, as Eagles returner Damaris Johnson almost found an open-hole on an 18-yard scamper. 

Josh Thomas was called for fair-catch interference inside two minutes to go in the quarter, which gave the Eagles much better field position. 

First Quarter: C

Armanti Edwards returned the Panthers only kick off of the quarter for 26 yards, and Graham Gano converted on a pair extra point attempts. 

Coaching- A

Final Game Grade: A

The Panthers won this game, so the grade is going to be positive for the coaching staff. 

Ron Rivera and his staff needed this one, and thanks to some Cam Newton magic and Philadelphia Eagles mistakes they got it. 

Fourth Quarter: A

The Panthers dominated the ball in the fourth quarter, as the Eagles only had one offensive possession in the entire quarter.

The coaching staff called plays that burnt the clock and accentuated Cam Newton's strengths. If they had done that in prior games, then perhaps they would be competing for a playoff spot rather than a top-five pick. 

Third Quarter: C

It's all going to come down to the final quarter, although that speaks volumes to how poorly things are going on a large scale for the Panthers. 

The Philadelphia Eagles have young players at numerous important positions but are still in the lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

The Panthers offense is wildly inconsistent, as they can look great on one drive and abysmal on the next. That boils down to coaching, which means that a change may be imminent. 

Second Quarter: D

The priority af the half should be to find a way to improve the run defense, as Bryce Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the second quarter. 

After a strong first quarter, the Panthers offense struggled to move the ball as the Eagles appears to have picked up on Carolina's tendencies. That thought was reinforced when Philadelphia defenders tackled Jonathan Stewart before he could take a step twice. 

Ron Rivera and his staff cannot afford to lose this game, especially considering how well the team was playing in the first quarter. 

It's time to go away from the read-option, although a constant barrage of short passes by Cam Newton isn't likely to be any more effective. 

The second half of this game may very well define Rivera's tenure as the Panthers head coach. 

First Quarter: A

At the end of the first quarter, the Carolina Panthers are beating the Philadelphia Eagles 14-3, so it's safe to say that it was a great first staff for Ron Rivera and his coaching staff.

Rob Chudzinski called an effective game in the first quarter, as the offense cut through the Eagles difference without much resistance. 

If Rivera can continue to lead his team down the current path, then he will be leaving Pennsylvania with his third win of the season.