Eagles vs. Panthers: Carolina Grades, Notes and Quotes
The last time the Carolina Panthers were featured in a prime-time game, they were crushed by the Philadelphia Eagles, 45-21. With the nation tuning in to see if the Panthers could keep up the momentum from their undefeated start, they weren’t about to turn in a repeat performance.
This time around, on Sunday Night Football, the Panthers beat the NFC East-leading Eagles 27-16 to go to 6-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Unlike last week, when they had to battle back to beat the Seattle Seahawks on a dramatic series of last-minute plays, the Panthers led this game essentially from wire-to-wire, scoring a Mike Tolbert touchdown with 9:28 left in the first quarter and never looking back.
They never really managed to pull too far away from the Eagles throughout the night. Cam Newton had three interceptions, though only one of them really was his fault, rather than tipped balls or balls squirting through the hands of his receivers, and Ryan Mathews did put up a 63-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to keep Philadelphia very much alive.
But more often than not, it was the Panthers making the plays.
Cam Newton threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and the running game just pounded Philadelphia into submission. Jonathan Stewart ran for 125 yards, and Tolbert scored a pair of touchdowns as the Panthers put up 204 rushing yards against a team who previously hadn’t given up more than 127 this season.
Naysayers and doubters will point to the fact that the Panthers still haven’t beaten a team with a winning record or the fact that they couldn’t quite deliver a knockout punch to Philadelphia, leaving the Eagles hanging around late into the contest. They’ll point to the general quality of the wide receivers and question whether the offense can hold up against tougher opposition. They’ll point to the perceived strengths of the other 6-0 teams and call the Panthers the worst unbeaten side.
The Panthers will point to the scoreboard and the fact that they’ve overcome every single obstacle put in their way this season.
This is team that is poised to make a strong run for the rest of the season. Their 6-0 record is not a fluke, nor is it solely a function of scheduling. This is a legitimate contender in the NFC this season.
Grades
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Position | Grade |
QB | B- |
RB | A |
WR | B- |
TE | B+ |
OL | B+ |
DL | A- |
LB | B |
DB | B- |
Special Teams | B |
Coaching | A |
Quarterbacks: Don’t be too fooled by Cam Newton’s three interceptions. Two of them were deflected, and the first one could arguably have been overturned on review. Newton was 14-of-24 for 197 yards and a touchdown, with 20 more rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. It’s not the prettiest stat line in the world, but once again, Newton got what needed to be done done.
Running Backs: Jonathan Stewart ran for 125 yards on 24 carries. It was the 12th 100-yard rushing game for Stewart, and the Panthers are 11-1 in those contests. He didn’t score, however—those touchdowns were vultured by Mike Tolbert. It was a very impressive performance against one of the stingiest run defenses in football.
Wide Receivers: Ted Ginn had a drop that resulted in a questionable interception, but he overall had a very solid day. He caught five passes for 59 yards and ran once for 43 more. Philly Brown also was quite successful, with three catches for 38 yards. Devin Funchess had a reception, but he also dropped a pass that resulted in another Newton interception as he continues to have an up-and-down rookie season.
Tight Ends: Greg Olsen didn’t light up the scoreboard like he did against Seattle, but he had a very solid 65 yards on three receptions, as well as being solid in run blocking. He remains Carolina’s most consistent weapon in the receiving game.
Offensive Line: The running backs didn’t put up great yardage on their own; they were helped by a solid push from the offensive line, which redeemed itself after allowing nine sacks the last time these two teams played. This time, Newton was only sacked once, and that was on a missed blitz pickup by Stewart, not on the offensive line. It did allow some pressures late as the Eagles’ bull rushes began to get through the tackles, but it held up very well, all things considered.
Defensive Line: Buoyed by an injury to Jason Peters and the subsequent reshuffling of the Eagles’ offensive line, the Panthers brought Sam Bradford down five times. Three of those sacks were credited to Kawann Short, who continues his All Pro-caliber season up front, and Jared Allen and Mario Addison were both officially credited with one as well. Allen really played well after missing last week with a pinched nerve, flashing his younger self against Matt Tobin.
Linebackers: Aside from a brief scare when Luke Kuechly had to leave the game for a play with some sort of left shoulder injury, the linebackers played very well. Both Kuechly and Thomas Davis had double-digit tackles, and Kuechly added a pass deflection on a potential touchdown pass and a quarterback hit on the night. It wasn’t perfect—Kuechly was initially at fault on Ryan Mathews’ 63-yard touchdown run—but it was enough to shut down Philadelphia’s intermediate and short-range passing attacks.
Defensive Backs: The overall performance was worse than Bradford’s numbers would suggest, as the Eagles suffered from seven drops, including on the play which ultimately ended the game. They still held the Eagles’ offense to 205 yards receiving, and Josh Norman continues to be the top shutdown corner in the league. Colin Jones, who spent a significant portion of the game covering the slot in the nickel package, had an interception as well.
Special Teams: Graham Gano made both of his field goal attempts, albeit neither of them too long. Brad Nortman pinned three of his four punts inside the 20-yard line, and the Eagles managed a grand total of two return yards on kickoffs and punts all game. Fozzy Whittaker had a 27-yard kickoff return, but the return game was mostly quiet.
Coaching: No missteps for Ron Rivera and his crew this week. You could make an argument that the Panthers should have gone for it on 4th-and-1 at midfield, up eight points with just 3:18 left to really ice the game, but the defense had been playing well enough that punting and playing the field position game was a totally defensible decision.
Panthers Set Franchise Record with 6-0 Start
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In 2003, the Carolina Panthers opened the season with five consecutive victories, beating the Jaguars, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints and Colts. They were stymied in their sixth time out, falling to the Tennessee Titans 37-17 on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.
Five other times, the Panthers have started out 4-2, but they’ve never managed to stay undefeated quite this far into the season.
That means the Panthers, still undefeated, are in uncharted waters for the franchise. Yes, in the grand scheme of things, 6-0 is far from unprecedented. They are one of five 6-0 teams this season alone, and one of 79 teams to perform that feat all time. Still, it’s a high-water mark for a relatively young franchise and definitely worth celebrating.
With a home game against a struggling Indianapolis Colts team coming up next Monday night, there’s a very solid chance the Panthers can extend their streak, as well. It’s been a fantastic beginning of the season for the team, and the Panthers are beginning to turn heads, drawing more and more believers as their record keeps improving.
Jason Peters Carted off with a Back Injury
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One of the most frightening moments of the game came midway through the first quarter, when Eagles left tackle Jason Peters crumpled to the ground, remaining there for several minutes before being eventually carted off the field. He was surrounded by members of both teams as he lay on the ground, and according to Michele Tafoya on NBC’s broadcast, he had troubles even sitting up in the locker room.
Peters went down without much contact, and initial fears were that it could be an Achilles injury—his legs buckled as he went down without much contact. The Eagles eventually reported that he had a lower back injury of some sort and that his return was questionable, but he did not return to the game.
That forced right guard Matt Tobin into Peters’ left tackle spot and caused Dennis Kelly in to play right guard. That wasn’t great for an offensive line that had already lost Andrew Gardner to injury earlier this season.
Tobin actually played surprisingly well for being forced into a different position, but the offensive line gave the Eagles issues all night, and Carolina capitalized. While it couldn’t match the nine sacks Philadelphia put up against them last season, it managed to bring Sam Bradford down five times, keeping him off balance and hurting the Eagles' ability to generate any momentum. The loss of Peters had a cascade effect on the line, and the Panthers were able to capitalize.
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Cam Newton Continues to Climb the All-Time Rushing Touchdown Standings
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Cam Newton ran in a rushing touchdown just before halftime to give the Panthers a 14-3 lead. This has become a common theme in Panthers games, and as a result, Newton continues to vault up the all-time list for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. It was Newton’s fourth rushing touchdown of the season and 37th of his NFL career.
This is not an official leaderboard, per se, especially with the very early days of the NFL featured quarterback-types who ran far more often than they threw. It’s not particularly fair to compare Newton to a quarterback from the ‘30s like Dutch Clark. However, just considering quarterbacks since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, Newton is tied for third all time with Steve McNair. Steve Young leads that list with 43 rushing touchdowns, and Kordell Stewart is in second place with 38.
The all-time leader is likely Otto Graham with 44 rushing touchdowns, but some of those came in the AAFC and thus are not generally counted by the NFL. Jack Kemp and Y.A. Tittle also have more rushing touchdowns than Newton does, if you go back to pre-merger days.
No matter where one precisely puts Newton on the all-time list, scoring 37 touchdowns as a quarterback through age 26 is unprecedented in NFL history. He’s paving new ground for rushing quarterbacks in the NFL.
If Newton continues to score at his career rate—one rushing touchdown every 1.8 starts—Newton would fall just short of catching Young this season and taking over first place. If he continues to score at his rate this season—one rushing touchdown every 1.5 games—Newton would break the record in the last game of the season, at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Whether that occurs this season, it seems only a matter of time before Newton is the most productive rushing quarterback in NFL history.
Ron Rivera Explains Kawann Short’s Great Season
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Kawann Short is a great player, but five sacks is a very unusual number for a defensive tackle. They normally end up crashing the middle and forcing the quarterback into the arms of the outside pass-rushers and defensive ends. Yet Short leads the team in sacks and continues to pull down quarterbacks. What’s going on?
After the game, coach Ron Rivera explained why Short is having such success, via Michael Persinger of Charlotte Observer:
“What’s happening right now is we’re getting some really good push. Jared and Ryan (Delaire) and Mario (Addison) are flying around the outside and forcing quarterback to step up, right into Kawann,” Rivera said after the game.
Short’s sack total is likely unsustainable—these just aren’t normal numbers for defensive tackles in the NFL. However, that doesn’t mean that a decrease in sacks should be seen as a sign that Short is regressing or anything of that nature. Whether he’s the one who actually picks up the sack, Short is playing out of his mind this season and has arguments over anyone else as being the best interior defensive lineman in football this season.
Cam Newton: More to Do
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Newton toed the party line in his postgame press conference, saying that the Panthers are “not satisfied with what we’ve done,” per ESPN.
“I’m excited, but we still have a lot more games,” Newton added, per the team's official Twitter account.
That’s a fair point—six wins still means you can finish with double-digit losses—but so far the Panthers have passed every test put in front of them. It’s hard to imagine them not making the playoffs this year; the last team to start 6-0 and miss the playoffs were the 2009 Denver Broncos, who collapsed to 8-8. The Panthers certainly can’t afford to rest on their laurels, but they’re in a great position through the first seven weeks of the season.
The stage is potentially set for a battle of unbeatens in two weeks, when the Panthers and Green Bay Packers go head-to-head in Carolina. Carolina needs to get past Indianapolis first, while Green Bay travels on the road to fellow unbeaten Denver. It’s probably about a 50-50 chance that both teams will go into Week 9 undefeated, but that would be an epic showdown.
Excitement for the Running Backs
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After running for 125 yards against a stout Philadelphia Eagles run defense, Jonathan Stewart was certainly going to make himself heard, regardless if NBC cameras had time to talk to him, as he videobombed the postgame interview.
On a slightly more verbose note, fullback Mike Tolbert laughed at the notion that critics might still question the quality of the Panthers’ undefeated start.
“You can doubt us all you want," Tolbert said, per Steve Reed of the Associated Press. "We're just going to keep pounding, just like our motto says."
This isn’t the prettiest football team ever assembled. It doesn't wow audiences with the precision passing of a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers. It's more symbolized by Tolbert’s rumbling, bumbling, bowling-ball style, bulldozing over players and bouncing off tackles to score. It’s an old-fashioned approach in a league dominated by quick passes and spread offenses, but it’s working so far for Carolina.
Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers. Follow him @BryKno on twitter.
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