Carolina Panthers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Report-Card Grades for Carolina
For the third time in five games, the Carolina Panthers (3-6-1) gave up at least 37 points to their opponent, as they were obliterated by the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2), 45-21. Carolina came into Monday night's game with a chance to get back into first place within the division but played more like a last-place team in rebuilding mode.
Five turnovers turned into 24 points for the Eagles as the Philadelphia defense was too much for the Carolina offensive line and Cam Newton. Not only did the NFC East leaders find ways to take away the ball from the Panthers, but the manner in which they did was very dominant. Newton was sacked nine times!
Any chance the Panthers had in reaching the postseason may have gone up in smoke, as they were owned early by a motivated Philadelphia team.
Suffice it to say, the game grades will not be pleasant, and anyone familiar with Carolina's grades following a bad loss such as the one at Lincoln Financial Field will know they will not be pretty. Without further adieu, here are the good, a lot of bad and a whole lot of ugly of Carolina's Week 10 game grades.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Considering the rout the Carolina Panthers were the recipients of on Monday night, it's only fair to start off with the positives from Cam Newton's performance. For starters, he finally threw for 300 yards this season. He turned it on in the fourth quarter with two touchdown strikes to Kelvin Benjamin and showed a ton of heart despite taking a lot of punishment and looking noticeably hurt toward the end of the game.
The negatives stem from his three interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown by Bradley Fletcher) and his two fumbles. Granted, the latter might have been the result of poor line play, but as the quarterback, Newton needs to take better care of the football.
His performance early in the game was awful, and one of those interceptions took place on the first play of the Panthers' second offensive series. In the end, he accounted for four of the five turnovers and probably denied his team of any legitimate chance of staying in the game.
Newton gets good marks for what he was able to do late in the game, but it's not enough to compensate for an overall poor game on his part.
Grade: D
Running Backs
2 of 10
Carolina outgained Philadelphia on the ground 102 to 37. So why does the unit get a failing grade? Being outscored two touchdowns to one is a good place to start. Plus, when you turn the ball over on the second play of the opening drive, it's unlikely good things will follow.
DeAngelo Williams learned that the hard way as he coughed up the ball on the second play of the game, and the Eagles came away with a quick three points. While the points off the turnover were small, it set the tone for the rest of the game, and offensively, Carolina was unable to click.
Jonathan Stewart led the team in rushing with 36 yards on 11 carries. He even had the only rushing touchdown on the night for the Panthers.
Still, this unit provided further reason for needing an upgrade and continued to show how much the absence of Mike Tolbert is hurting the offense. Williams and Stewart combined for seven catches for 40 yards, but the Carolina backfield is not as good as it once was. The combination of new personnel and injuries has taken a significant toll on both the unit and the team.
Grade: F
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 10
Between the first quarter and third quarter, the only good thing about the Carolina offense was Greg Olsen. The veteran tight end finished the night with a team-leading six catches and 119 receiving yards. When the fourth quarter arrived, rookie Kelvin Benjamin came alive.
The former Florida State standout caught two touchdown passes of 21 and 40 yards to make the blowout look less severe than it really was. He continued to make a case for Offensive Rookie of the Year as he finished with three receptions for 70 yards.
Both receivers were targeted seven times, but Benjamin still had a case of the drops. Olsen was nearly perfect as he was unable to come up with one pass.
Jerricho Cotchery was targeted seven times as well, but he only caught two of those passes.
It's hard to imagine two wide receivers combining for 14 targets and only having five receptions to show for it. Had it not been for Benjamin's two scores, the overall production of the unit would look extremely bad. While drops have to be considered for the grade, the accuracy of Newton's passes is also taken into account.
If the ball is going to be spread out among the receivers, everyone needs to do a better job of catching the pass and making the most of the opportunity.
Grade: C
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It could be argued the Carolina Panthers are in contention for a high draft pick rather than a playoff berth. With that in mind, maybe general manager Dave Gettleman should just blow up the entire offensive line and start from scratch. This is perhaps one of the worst lines in recent memory, and this is taking into account a horrible 2010 season.
Nine sacks.
Technically, the unit only allowed eight, as one of them was a product of DeAngelo Williams not doing a better job of picking up his block early in the game. However, the unit put on a pathetic display as the Eagles defense brought pressure from the edge (Connor Barwin had 3.5 sacks) and up the middle.
The fact that Newton escaped without injury or being replaced was a small miracle in itself. If Carolina fans had any shred of confidence in the line's ability to do its job, it was erased with the debacle of a performance Monday night.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Carolina defensive line took a hit with an injury to Star Lotulelei, who rolled his ankle and had to be carted off the field. Earlier, Charles Johnson appeared to hurt his elbow and missed some action. Ultimately, it was not a good night for the defensive line, and struggling to get to Mark Sanchez only made things worse.
Credit the Philadelphia offensive line for keeping Sanchez well-protected. He was sacked only once, and that came from linebacker Thomas Davis.
The Panthers are not the same team they were a year ago when they led the league in sacks. Injuries and suspensions have limited this unit, and the new personnel filling in have yet to prove effective.
The silver lining to take away from Monday night's game is the fact that the line did limit the Eagles rushing attack to 37 yards on 23 carries. However, LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles were both able to rush for a touchdown each.
Had the pass rush been more efficient, this game would have been a lot closer.
Grade: D
Linebackers
6 of 10
It seems like it's been a long time since Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis were killing it on defense. When the season started, both were making big plays and ranking among the team leaders in tackles. Now, it seems as though the defensive backbone is a shell of its former self, as both men have not quite played to the level that Panthers fans are accustomed to seeing.
Davis could be fined again as he appeared to make helmet-to-helmet contact with Brent Celek late in the game. The play was not flagged as there was nothing intentional about it, but Celek was back on the sidelines immediately following the play. Davis did have the defense's lone sack, but that is about as far as the accolades go for the linebacker unit.
Kuechly was a co-leader in tackles with eight. Fans are used to seeing him rack up double-digit tackle numbers, so his production could be deemed low.
Much like the rest of the Carolina defense, the linebackers have taken their lumps too. The aggressiveness is still there, but it means little in demoralizing defeats.
Grade: C-
Secondary
7 of 10
Take away the two drives where Mark Sanchez drove his team down the field through the air and found Jordan Matthews twice for touchdowns, and maybe, just maybe, this game isn't a blowout. Sanchez threw for 332 yards and looked like an All-Pro quarterback, picking apart the Carolina secondary.
Neither the corners nor the safeties had an answer for him.
Sure, Thomas DeCoud was the other leader in tackles on the team, but that meant very little for a unit that failed to produce a turnover. The closest the Panthers got to intercepting Sanchez was when he made a mistake of throwing a ball out in front of Josh Norman, who easily gobbled it up, only to have it ruled incomplete. A part of Norman's left foot touched the sideline, which negated the potential pick.
Considering that 14 points were accounted for in the air and most of the yardage gained came via the passing game, it makes sense that if the Panthers had played better in coverage, the outcome might have been different. Much like the offensive line, it may be time to start from scratch and rebuild the defensive backfield.
Grade: F
Special Teams
8 of 10
This grade may be a little generous, but here goes.
Graham Gano converted all three of his point-after attempts following each Carolina touchdown. In that regard, he received high marks.
Fozzy Whittaker had two kickoff returns for a total of 70 yards. He looked good on each return and perhaps validated his role on special teams for the foreseeable future.
Here is where things get murky.
If you kick to Darren Sproles, bad things will happen. Considering that he spent most of his career in New Orleans, it's a bit of a head-scratcher why Carolina kicked to him. Brad Nortman has a strong leg, but flipping the field is out of the question when you let a dangerous return man like Sproles get a chance to create some havoc. He did exactly that in the first quarter, returning a punt 65 yards for the touchdown. The Eagles never looked back and, as a result, dealt the Panthers a huge loss.
Grade: C-
Coaching
9 of 10
During the game, Jon Gruden asked why Cam Newton was allowed to stay in the game that was out of reach. He was constantly being harassed, turned the ball over and, at one point, was slightly limping.
Ron Rivera may have done it to see if his young quarterback could overcome the adversity. Perhaps giving Newton the hook would send the wrong message about his faith in his ability. Regardless, questions will be raised this week as to why the Panthers were embarrassed again on national television.
Based on all that has happened this season, Rivera could be afforded a little bit of slack. However, the past few weeks have shown little improvement, and the Panthers are 0-4-1 in their last five games. Rivera's vote of confidence could be diminishing with each loss.
Even his Riverboat Ron persona is struggling this year. Carolina had 4th-and-1, and instead of trying to pound it up the middle or hitting a wide-open Jonathan Stewart in the flat, Newton targeted Jerricho Cotchery on a deep post route and overthrew him.
Carolina has a tendency to finish strong under Rivera. Such a finish will be needed if he is to retain his job, because a losing season could prompt Dave Gettleman to start his search for a new coach.
Grade: D
Final Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: D
Running Backs: F
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: C
Offensive Line: F
Defensive Line: D
Linebackers: C-
Secondary: F
Special Teams: C-
Coaching: D
Final Grade: F
Carolina blew a golden opportunity to get back into first place within the division. Not only was this loss demoralizing, but it proved that the Panthers are in dire need of major changes at various positions. The past month has been awful for Carolina, and the sweet taste of victory has eluded the team since Week 5.
Fortunately, the Panthers have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. Winning out is almost a necessity to keep their playoff hopes alive, but games against New Orleans and the surprising Cleveland Browns could be tough obstacles to overcome.
The team that played Monday night is not the team that will win a division title or earn a playoff berth. Changes need to be made now.
All game information courtesy of ESPN.com.
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