Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers: Report-Card Grades for Carolina
The Carolina Panthers (3-3-1) came into this game as underdogs, and the result suited them. The Green Bay Packers (5-2) dominated the Panthers from the start as Aaron Rodgers led his offense to a quick 21 points in the first quarter. Carolina did not have an answer for the Pack on either side of the ball, and the 38-17 score said as much.
There was very little positive to take away from this game, but the running game finally found its legs, and the receiving game continued to do be a bright spot for the Panthers and the offense. On the flip side, the negative included a lot of yards given up, too many points conceded, too many three-and-outs by the Carolina offense and one big ejection.
As always, the next few slides will grade each unit based on performance with regard to the final score and individual contributions. Of course, many of the grades will not be good, as Carolina was blown out.
Writer's Note: There may be some omissions regarding play in the third quarter. The game was blacked out locally after the big Green Bay lead and it took several minutes for Sunday Ticket to air the game on its programming.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Cam Newton tried to play as well as he could based on the circumstances, but he was not afforded good protection early on, and on some plays when he had time to scan the field, he missed his mark. Newton was 17-of-31 for 205 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Had it not been for a pass-interference penalty, Newton would have thrown two picks, one of which would have been returned for a touchdown.
Much like last week, he was turned loose. Unlike last week, he was not nearly as dominant. He carried the ball seven times for 41 yards, and some of that could be attributed to the running game finding some success—in the second half, anyway.
Newton was sacked three times, as his line had a difficult time protecting him against a persistent Green Bay pass rush (more on that later). He could have played worse given the Panthers never had a chance in this game. However, Newton could have benefited from some better play early in the game and better pass protection.
Derek Anderson played a couple of series and did well in mop-up duty, as he was 5-of-8 for 43 yards and a score.
Grade: B-
Running Backs
2 of 10
It was nice to see a Carolina running back rush for more than 50 yards. While that is not exactly a good number to reference in terms of backfield production, the injuries and inability to generate any kind of ground game has made reaching 50 yards on the ground a bit of a task for the Panthers running backs.
Jonathan Stewart led the team with 55 rushing yards. Much of his production came in the second half, as he had some long gains late in the game. Unfortunately, he came away without a touchdown.
Chris Ogbannaya was the only other Carolina running back to see any action Sunday; he carried the ball four times for 12 yards.
The Panthers need to get the running game back on track, and that starts with getting players healthy and getting better blocking up front. There were some encouraging signs from the running game, but the line needs to help open up some holes to give the ground game some teeth.
Grade: C+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
If not for the receiving corps, the Carolina offense could be one of the worst in the league. On Sunday, they continued to play well and accounted for 14 of the Panthers' 17 points. Touchdown receptions by Kelvin Benjamin and Brenton Bersin highlighted the scoring from the Carolina offense.
Benjamin added to his league-leading receiving yards and touchdown total among NFL rookies after speculation he would miss this week's game due to a concussion. He was cleared to play and turned in another solid day despite catching the ball three times.
Bersin's touchdown was his first professional score, and it was no doubt bittersweet.
Tight end Greg Olsen led the way with eight catches for 105 yards. He wasn't able to get into the end zone, but he did all he could, catching everything thrown his way. He was targeted eight times and did not let one get by him or drop a pass.
Receptions by Jerricho Cotchery, Jason Avant and Brandon Williams rounded out the receivers who caught a ball against the Packers.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It would be easier to just give this unit a failing grade and move on. However, the fine folks at Bleacher Report require some degree of analysis and reasoning to justify the grades.
The best way to describe the offensive line's performance for Carolina is summed up in one word: awful. That much was evident early on as the Green Bay front seven just had its way with the Panthers line. Running lanes could not be opened, and the blitz packages employed by the Packers was too much for the Panthers offensive line to counter.
Fans knew the Panthers were in trouble when Clay Matthews blew by Nate Chandler on Carolina's first offensive series and stopped Jonathan Stewart in the backfield.
Three sacks were surrendered as the line failed to protect Cam Newton or at least give him time to find receivers.
Overall, it was a very disappointing day for Carolina's line. The ineptitude of the unit failed to let the offense generate any kind of production early and, as a result, saw the Panthers in a huge hole by halftime.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line could have played a lot worse, but they could have played a lot better, too. Charles Johnson led the unit with six tackles and a sack. His performance has hinted a return of the player Carolina fans know can be a disruptive force coming off the edge, but he could use some help.
Dwan Edwards, Mario Addison, Star Lotulelei, Kawann Short and Kony Ealy combined for eight tackles.
Early in the game, it looked as though the Panthers defensive front would allow the tandem of Eddie Lacy and James Starks to run all over them. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. However, both running backs scored a touchdown and combined for 99 yards on the ground.
The Green Bay offensive line did a good job of keeping the Carolina defensive front in check and away from Aaron Rodgers long enough to let him pick apart the secondary.
As mentioned before, the unit could have played better.
Grade: C-
Linebackers
6 of 10
Luke Kuechly has been a rising star in both Carolina and the NFL. He was clearly frustrated in this game, and it came to a head in the third quarter when he was ejected for swinging at an official, but he stopped once he saw who was behind him restraining him. It was too late as the back judge threw the flag and tossed him from the game.
Kuechly still led the team in tackles with eight with his ejection being the highlight of his day.
Thomas Davis was right behind him with seven tackles and a sack. He even had two tackles for loss as he stood out as the best performing linebacker on the day. His contributions were not enough, as the Panthers defense did not have an answer for the Packers in the first half.
A.J. Klein had three tackles (two for losses) and Ben Jacobs recorded one in relief of Kuechly.
Carolina's linebackers weren't that bad, but they were part of a unit that gave up 38 points. Add the ejection of Kuechly, and this day is one the linebackers unit would like to forget. As a leader, Kuechly needs to keep his composure and not get frustrated because of how the game is playing out.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 10
The job was simple for the Carolina secondary; stop the Green Bay receivers and shut down the aerial attack of Aaron Rodgers. The safeties and cornerbacks failed at both.
Antoine Cason allowed Jordy Nelson to score on a 59-yard touchdown reception on Green Bay's opening series that was aided by Roman Harper's missed tackle. This play may not have transpired if the Panthers did not commit a pass-interference penalty that negated an interception by Harper.
It seemed as though everything went downhill following that big miscue.
Rodgers would go on to throw for 255 yards and three touchdowns. His passing performance was spectacular as he cut up the Carolina secondary and completed passes to nine different receivers. Randall Cobb and Nelson combined for 10 catches and 201 yards with two scores.
Carolina's secondary has long been considered its weakest link, and more is expected from these guys when it comes to defending the pass. Sunday, the unit failed at doing so and played a part in getting their team far behind after one half of football.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
There was nothing that stood out regarding Carolina's special teams. However, Philly Brown led the team early in the game in all-purpose yards as the Panthers saw its first three drives sputter and fail to score. Brown would finish with 55 yards on kick returns and 17 on punt returns.
Brenton Bersin had returned two punts for 17 yards as he relieved Brown in the second half.
Graham Gano connected on his one and only field-goal attempt from 33 yards out. He was perfect on both extra points, too.
The busiest player on special teams was Brad Nortman, who punted the ball seven times and averaged 53.9 yards per punt. While he may have done his part to flip the field, the defense couldn't stop the Packers' onslaught.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
Carolina was not prepared for this one, and maybe the lingering effects of player suspensions and injuries is catching up with Ron Rivera's guys. The Packers moved the ball with relative ease in the first three quarters, and the inability of the Carolina offense to score early put the team in a bad spot before the first quarter came to an end.
Sean McDermott needs to make some changes regarding his defense, because their performance Sunday was not typical of Panthers football. Too many times this year the secondary has been dominated, and that was the case in Green Bay.
With any luck, the Panthers' coaching staff will make the necessary adjustments and come out ready next week.
Grade: C-
Final Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: B-
Running Backs: C+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B+
Offensive Line: F
Defensive Line: C-
Linebackers: C+
Secondary: D
Special Teams: B
Coaching: C-
Final Grade: D
This game was disappointing on all levels. This team can do much better than what they did on Sunday regardless of who they are playing. The only thing that can be done is learn from their mistakes against the Packers and move on to the next game.
All game information provided from ESPN.com.
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