Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Carolina Panthers: Full Report-Card Grades for Carolina
The Carolina Panthers (2-1) were not only defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) on Sunday Night Football, they were outright embarrassed by them. It was bad enough the Carolina running game was not firing on all cylinders, but their defense allowed itself to be dominated by the running back tandem of Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount.
This game echoed memories of the 2010 meeting the Panthers had when it last played the Steelers on national television. While the makeup of each team was different, the result was very much the same. However, the Panthers still have a hold on first place, but now they are in a tie with Atlanta.
The following slides will break down what was good, what was bad and what was absolutely ugly about the Carolina Panthers' Week 3 game.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Cam Newton tried, but in the end, he came up short. His performance was admirable, as he went 24-of-35 for 250 yards and a score. He even outplayed his counterpart, Ben Roethlisberger.
However, the lack of a running game allowed the Pittsburgh defense to key in on him during the game and even rendered his mobility useless. The protection was lousy, as he was sacked three times (that doesn't include the hits he took after releasing the ball) and late in the fourth, he was relieved by Derek Anderson.
This move was made because of the apparent hurt leg Newton was playing through. He was seen limping around during the second half, and the Carolina coaching staff felt it wasn't worth the risk to continue playing their young quarterback.
Anderson played just as well in his only series. He was 5-of-6 for 80 yards and even connected with Kelvin Benjamin for a score. While it didn't mean much, his performance proved why he has been the Panthers' backup quarterback for the past three years.
Grade: B+
Running Backs
2 of 10
Ten attempts, 42 yards, no touchdowns.
Jonathan Stewart led the running game with five carries for 31 yards, but he left the game early due to a foot contusion. This did not bode well for a running game that is already without DeAngelo Williams. Backing him up was Mike Tolbert, who did little on his end and has not played like the Pro Bowl fullback he was last season.
It really goes to show how crippled a unit is when only two running backs carry the ball during a game and have nothing to show for their efforts. Their 35 combined rushing yards (Cam Newton had the remaining seven) were inferior and laughable compared to the performance of Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount.
Playing in prime time gave opposing teams something to learn about the Panthers offense this season, and without a running game, a lot of pressure will be put on the passing attack and the defense to keep the Panthers in each game. That is not a recipe for success.
Grade: F
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
This is arguably the brightest part of the Panthers' game Sunday night. As usual, the ball was spread around, and despite having two quarterbacks throwing passes, Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen continued to lead the receiving game.
Benjamin enjoyed his best game as a pro, as he caught eight passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Olsen turned in another solid performance, catching five passes for 69 yards and a score.
The supporting cast did well in their own right.
Undrafted rookie Philly Brown had seven receptions for 66 yards, while Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert each caught three passes. Jason Avant and Brenton Bersin also contributed.
There shouldn't be any questions regarding the Carolina receiving corps any longer. The focus has to shift to the running backs and what needs to be done to make the running game more effective. The Panthers receivers are good, but having some kind of support would help tremendously.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Based on the information in the previous slides, one can deduce that the offensive line will not receive a high mark for this week. The failure of the Carolina offensive linemen in the running game is partly to blame for both the loss and the lopsided score.
When your running backs are held to under 40 yards rushing in a game, changes need to be made. There is a problem in the trenches when it comes to the rushing attack, and the Carolina Panthers need to find a way to solve it fast.
Another issue to mention has to do with pass protection.
Cam Newton may have been sacked three times, but he was constantly being battered by the Pittsburgh defense and became hobbled late in the game. The last thing the Panthers need is to see their quarterback go down with an injury because the linemen couldn't provide him adequate protection.
The Panthers' lack a running game. If anything, the offensive line could do more to make life in the pocket more bearable for Newton through four quarters.
Grade: D
Defensive Line
5 of 10
It's perhaps the best defensive front in the league, and it looked like a Division-III school getting owned by a team from the SEC. The Carolina Panthers saw its defensive line get torn up by the Pittsburgh running game. Give credit where credit is due: The combined performances of Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were awesome to watch, and both men are quality backs.
However, the Panthers have made its reputation by dominating running backs and limiting them to what they do on the field. This was not the case Sunday night.
Charles Johnson struggled to get to Ben Roethlisberger, and the lack of an outside presence really hurt the Carolina pass rush. Mario Addison was able to record another sack, but the overall efforts were blown up by an impressive Pittsburgh running attack.
One has to hope this game was a fluke, and this served as an example that every team has a bad day. The Carolina defensive line had a night they would like to forget, and with any luck, a similar performance won't happen again this season.
Grade: D+
Linebackers
6 of 10
Luke Kuechly led the team in tackles with 14. As always, he was all over the field, and while he was in the mix of making plays, he came up short of an interception late in the game that probably would have given the Panthers a chance to make the game a closer contest. Instead, he missed on the pass and the Steelers were able to pick up another first down.
A.J. Klein and Thomas Davis combined for eight tackles, with the latter recording one for a loss. It was among the few positives that saw a defense get absolutely owned by the Steelers.
It's hard to mark the unit down, but they are not worthy of a high mark, either. Much like the defensive line, they had a responsibility to shut down the running game, and that did not happen. Considering the fact that there were some solid stands by the defense and Kuechly played like he always does, the unit is deserving of a middle-of-the-road grade.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
On one hand, the secondary limited Ben Roethlisberger to 196 yards passing. On the other, said secondary allowed 90 of those yards to be picked up by Antonio Brown on 10 catches which netted two touchdowns. A week after keeping Calvin Johnson in check, the performance of the Carolina secondary could be considered an epic fail.
Melvin White nearly got burned on a touchdown pass to Markus Wheaton, but that pass was ruled incomplete because Wheaton had stepped out of bounds and thus became an ineligible receiver. In the end, it didn't matter. The Panthers were on the receiving end of a blowout.
The story of the secondary for Week 3 was lethargic at best.
Antoine Cason led the unit with seven tackles. There were no interceptions, and there weren't any batted-down passes. The only person to defend a pass was defensive lineman Kawann Short.
It was good to see the secondary keep Roethlisberger under 200 yards passing. Unfortunately, he made the most of those passing yards and was able to find Brown, who had a big night.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Quick and to the point, both Graham Gano and Brad Nortman did their jobs. Gano connected on both of his field-goal attempts (to include the extra point), and Nortman averaged 52.5 yards over four punts. Sadly, this is about as positive as it gets for special teams this week.
Philly Brown may not be the sole reason for Carolina losing Sunday night, but his mistake in the fourth quarter really sucked the momentum the Panthers had built, and it culminated in a losing effort.
In short, the Panthers defense had forced the Steelers to punt. Brown muffed the return and was able to pick it up. However, he was stripped of the ball and after two failed attempts by the Panthers to jump on it, the Steelers came away with the recovery in the end zone.
Had Brown not turned the ball over, the result may have been different. Perhaps a losing effort would have been closer instead of an 18-point defeat. Maybe the Panthers would have been motivated on defense and kept the Pittsburgh running attack in check for the remainder of the night.
Regardless, dwelling on the hypothetical scenarios of the situation is a moot point. Brown needs to learn from this and go out, determined to be better the next time around. The loss to Pittsburgh cannot be solely placed on his shoulders, as the rest of the team failed at their respective jobs, too.
Grade: C-
Coaching
9 of 10
The Carolina coaching staff usually has a solid game plan and has the pieces to make everything come together. Dating back to last season, much of that game-planning has resulted in wins. However, there is usually one game that gets away and makes it look as though the Panthers were unprepared.
Sunday night may have been that night.
Down two running backs and leaning on another who wasn't 100 percent made a tough game even more difficult to prepare for. The fact that the strongest element of the team was battered, beaten and worn down will prompt Ron Rivera and his staff to go back and try to figure out just what exactly went wrong.
It's only one game and regardless, the Panthers will close out the first month of the season with a record of .500 or better. Still, the thrashing at the hands of the Steelers leave many questions to be answered, and the only thing the coaching staff can do is to move on and get ready for Week 4.
Grade: C
Final Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: B+
Running Backs: F
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: A
Offensive Line: D
Defensive Line: D+
Linebackers: C
Secondary: C-
Special Teams: C-
Coaching: C
Final Grade: D+
Disappointing and ugly. That is the only way to describe the Carolina Panthers' Week 3 loss. Obviously, the Panthers were expecting a team that wasn't very good to show up and perhaps underestimated them.
Whichever Pittsburgh team that struggled at Baltimore earlier this season was not in Charlotte on Sunday night. That team looked like the Steelers many fans are accustomed to seeing, while the Panthers blew a golden opportunity to make an early-season statement.
All game stats and information courtesy of ESPN.com.
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