Carolina Panthers vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Report-Card Grades for Carolina
The Carolina Panthers (3-2-1) came into Paul Brown Stadium where they took on the Cincinnati Bengals (3-1-1) and the two teams put up a lot of points and in the end, not even overtime was enough to declare a winner as the game ended 37-37. For Carolina, this was the first tie in franchise history and it was one that many fans will gladly accept.
There were many bright spots for the Panthers.
It was the best Cam Newton has looked this season. The running game actually showed up (even if Newton accounted for most of the yards), and the receivers continued to do their part to help the offense move the chains.
However, there were some hangups that led to the game ending in a tie. While the defense may take the brunt of the blame, it was special teams that really cost the Panthers a chance at winning.
The following slides will break down what went right and what went wrong for Carolina and how each unit graded out.
Quarterback
1 of 10
As noted in the introduction slide, Cam Newton played well Sunday. Actually, he played like the Newton of old, but with better decision-making. He passed the ball effectively, going 29-of-46 for 284 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. That pick was perhaps his only mistake as he overthrew Kelvin Benjamin, and it landed into the waiting arms of Reggie Nelson.
Newton did everything possible to guide the Panthers to victory, and had Jerricho Cotchery (more on this later) had not dropped the pass in the end zone during overtime, the Panthers would have come away with the victory.
Still, Newton played his heart out. He threw. He ran. He scored a rushing touchdown. His production on the ground was impressive as he rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries. This version of Cam was a long time coming, and in the end, Superman returned.
In a battle between two 2011 draft quarterbacks, each represented his team well.
Grade: A
Running Backs
2 of 10
The Achilles' heel of the offense, the ground game got the contributions of Fozzy Whittaker and Darrin Reaves helped Carolina move the ball on the ground. While their production paled in comparison to that of Cam Newton, it was effective enough to get the job done. The individual stats will not suggest that, but Whittaker did have a rushing touchdown and two catches for 27 yards in the passing game.
The running backs may have been overshadowed by the production of their quarterback, but that has been the norm in Carolina the past three seasons. Surprisingly, Chris Ogbonnaya did not take a snap in this game.
While Whittaker and Reaves combined for just 40 yards on 17 carries, it did enough to complement the efforts of Newton. Though their individual production of the two backs could have been better, the offense in general played well.
Grade: B-
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
The consistent production of Greg Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin received some support in Jerricho Cotchery as he hauled in four passes for 58 yards. He could have added to his total with a reception in overtime, but he dropped a pass that was a sure touchdown. The throw was on the money and there was no reason for it to slip through his hands, but it did.
Luckily, the game ended in a tie.
Olsen led receivers with 62 yards on six receptions. Much like most of the season, he ended the game with a touchdown grab. The same with Benjamin. He caught seven passes for 49 yards and a score of his own. He almost had a second touchdown grab, but he was flagged for pass interference.
The receiver unit played its usual productive game. However, it needs to be acknowledged that Cotchery's drop and Benjamin's penalty played a role in depriving the Panthers of a win. Of course, the silver lining here is that Carolina could have lost this game, and based on how the Panthers battled all day, it would be have been sickening for players and fans alike to have come up short on the scoreboard.
Grade: B-
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 10
Carolina was able to start its projected starting offensive line for the first time all season. Ryan Kalil (C), Amini Silatolu (LG), Byron Bell (LT), Trai Turner (RG) and Nate Chandler (RT) were on the field together to start today's game and there was marked improvement.
For starters, they did an excellent job in pass protection. Throughout four quarters and overtime, the Carolina offensive line did not not allow a sack.
Additionally, the line helped the ground game as Cam Newton picked up lots of yards running the ball, 107 of them in fact.
Silatolu did leave the game and was replaced by Fernando Velasco, but the quality of the line's play remained consistent. Overall, the Carolina offensive front won the battle in the trenches and was a big reason why the Panthers were able to pile on the points.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Charles Johnson had a good game and came away with a sack in overtime that would prevent the Bengals from winning. However, he did have a costly penalty in the same period that gave the Bengals great field position and a chance to claim victory with a field goal. Fortunately, Cincinnati place-kicker Mike Nugent missed and the game ended in a deadlock.
Kawann Short had a great game, as he recorded five tackles and was able to hit Andy Dalton twice. Star Lotulelei had a solid game in the trenches with three tackles.
However, the defense looked eerily similar to how it performed against AFC North competition earlier this year.
The line had a hard time trying to get to Andy Dalton as he was able to scramble away or get rid of the ball. Also, there was the matter of the 137 yards given up to Giovani Bernard, capped by his 89-yard scoring run. Overall, the front four allowed Cincinnati to churn out 193 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns.
The unit alone is not entirely at fault, but this line is capable of playing much better. The absences of Greg Hardy and Frank Alexander may have played a huge part in the defensive line's shortcomings this year.
Grade: C
Linebackers
6 of 10
Luke Kuechly put on another strong showing with his family in attendance on Sunday. The Cincinnati native had 13 tackles to lead the Panthers. As always, he was all over the field, and his teammate Thomas Davis once again complemented him well.
However, it was a missed tackle by Davis that led to the long touchdown run by Giovani Bernard. Davis was unable to wrap him up in the gap, and that failure was costly. Missed tackles proved to be a killer a few weeks earlier against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since the game ended in a tie and the play of the linebacker units didn't necessarily determine the outcome of the game, the marks for the unit aren't great, but they're not bad either.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
Credit Roman Harper and Antoine Cason for helping bring the secondary marks up to respectability. Both had an interception and it was Cason's pick that helped set the Panthers offense up at the Cincinnati 10-yard line. His productive day was clouded a bit by the Brandon Tate touchdown.
Melvin White put on a Jekyll and Hyde performance. He would play well on one play and give up a big completion a snap or two later. He was beat on a route that that allowed Bengal wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to score a game-tying touchdown. Though he was able to successfully defend a pass that helped kill a drive late in the game, Cincinnati QB Andy Dalton picked on him throughout much of the afternoon.
As a whole, the secondary allowed Dalton to throw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. It was able to intercept him twice, so that should count for something. To Carolina's credit, the unit did not give up the big play in overtime.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
Cincinnati only punted once, and on the return of that attempt, Carolina's Philly Brown gained five yards. Brown did have a nice return on the Bengals first kickoff, as he picked up 35 yards. He would finish the day averaging 22.3 yards per return and didn't do anything to warrant criticism on this slide.
Not so lucky is Carolina place-kicker Graham Gano, who missed a field goal from 38 yards early in the fourth quarter. However, he redeemed himself in overtime with a 36-yard field goal to tie the game. As for critical miss, Gano is usually on target from that distance, and had he connected, the outcome may have turned out differently.
At least the missed field goal didn't result in a loss.
Ultimately, the biggest blunder came from the kickoff team after Carolina scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Adam Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards to set up a game-tying score for the Bengals.
It would have been nice if the special teams had stopped him and given the defense an opportunity to close the deal. It was yet another in a day missed opportunities for the Panthers.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
Ron Rivera deviated from his "Riverboat Ron" persona in this game. There were a couple of opportunities where he would have gone for it based on the situation and field position on fourth down. In both instances, Rivera played things conservatively and kicked game-tying field goals.
Suggesting that Rivera should have gone for it on fourth down in the final quarter or in overtime is a moot point. He made the decisions based on the situation and felt it would be easier to come away with the tie than to be second-guessed had he gone for the win and come up short.
His game plan was consistent and for the second week in a row, he saw his team score over 30 points.
Mike Shula must have felt confident in Cam Newton's ability to run, because he set his quarterback loose on Sunday. The offense as a whole looked balanced even if Newton was providing most of the fireworks.
Sean McDermott really needs to find a way to shore up his defensive line and stop the run. His unit has given up way too much yardage on the ground this year and against Cincinnati, it was no different. There needs to be some adjustments in the pass defense, but for now, figuring out how to contain the run should be atop the priority list.
Grade: C+
Final Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: A
Running Backs: B-
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B-
Offensive Line: A
Defensive Line: C
Linebackers: C
Secondary: C-
Special Teams: B-
Coaching: C+
Final Grade: C
A tie deserves a middle of the road grade and while there were those units who did well, there were those whose shortcomings nearly cost the Panthers the game. Carolina probably should have lost, and it was a stroke of luck that the Cincinnati Bengals squandered a golden opportunity to put the game away.
Regardless, the matchup was entertaining and showed that Carolina should be considered a postseason contender.
Game information courtesy of ESPN.com.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
