Redskins vs. Panthers: Carolina Grades, Notes and Quotes
Despite their undefeated record, the Carolina Panthers have still been searching for their complete win this season. Their offense would start late, the defense would take a half off and their receivers would drop passes; they’ve been looking for a blowout to prove they’re a great team, not just a good one.
They finally put up that signature performance against Washington, coasting to a 44-16 victory behind record-setting performances from Cam Newton and the defense.
It’s a performance that equals anything any other NFL team has done this season, and it’s the most impressive bit of dominance the Panthers have put up in quite some time. It’s their biggest win since the 34-3 demolition of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 last season, and it's the most points the team has put up since a 44-38 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 17 of 2012.
After allowing two big plays early—a long 56-yard touchdown bomb to DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts' 99-yard kickoff return—the Panthers were perfect. Newton put the game well out of reach in the first half, setting a franchise record for first-half touchdowns and tying the franchise record for total touchdown passes before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter. The defense tied a franchise record for forced fumbles, causing Washington to drop the ball five times.
The Panthers rushed for 141 yards, extending their 21-game streak of 100 or more yards on the ground. That’s the best streak since the 1970s. They extended their regular-game winning streak to 14, the third-best in NFC history since the NFL merger.
Devin Funchess continued his recent success in his first career start, catching a touchdown pass. The Panthers had four receivers end up over 50 yards. Jonathan Stewart had over 100 yards rushing—his second game over 100 yards this season and his first in nearly a month. The defense held Washington to just 14 rushing yards. It was a total-team performance.
This wasn’t against a bad team, either—Washington has been a pretty league-average team this season. They’re not an elite team by any stretch of the imagination, but they’ve been solid in nearly all aspects of the game. This was a demolition of a legitimate playoff-contending team.
The Panthers improve to 10-0. They’re one of just 16 teams to achieve that feat in the Super Bowl era. Of the previous 15, all made the playoffs, nine made the Super Bowl and six won it all. Now, the Panthers have their signature statement win to go with their record. They stand atop the NFC with a huge lead over everyone. If they can play like they did Sunday, no one in football will be able to stop them.
Grades
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Position | Grade |
QB | A |
RB | A |
WR | B+ |
TE | B+ |
OL | B |
DL | A |
LB | A |
DB | A- |
Special Teams | C |
Coaching | B+ |
Quarterbacks
Yeah, when you set or tie franchise highs in touchdown passes, you get an "A." Newton threw for five touchdowns and 246 yards, with a quarterback rating of 123.3 before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter. He was held quiet on the ground—only 16 yards rushing and no score—but somehow, I think he’ll be fine with his performance. Derek Anderson did not attempt a pass in relief.
Running Backs
Jonathan Stewart topped 100 yards for only the second time this season. It wasn’t on any big carries—his longest of the day was just 15—but it was on regular, consistent carries that kept Carolina in good downs and distances. He also added a touchdown reception, as did Mike Tolbert.
Wide Receivers
In his first NFL start, Devin Funchess continued the trend he put up over the past couple of weeks. He had four receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown, as well as breaking up a potential interception in the end zone that allowed another touchdown. Ted Ginn caught a touchdown pass, and Jerricho Cotchery had more than 50 yards receiving.
Tight Ends
Greg Olsen will be sore in Monday morning, having been roughed up and having taken a shot to the head from Chris Culliver in the first half, but he finished the day with three receptions for 54 yards and a score, along with leading the blocking on Jonathan Stewart’s touchdown.
Offensive Line
Newton was sacked twice and had to scramble out of danger on several other occasions as Washington’s pass rush got through the line on a couple of occasions. The Panthers were very solid in the running game, however, as they averaged 3.6 yards per carry on their way to 142 yards on the ground.
Defensive Line
Mario Addison had 1.5 sacks, Kyle Love and Kony Ealy had one each and Ryan Delaire added an extra half-sack as the Panthers’ defensive line regularly pressured Kirk Cousins. Jared Allen had a couple of quarterback hits, though he never actually got a sack. The defensive line also held Washington to just 14 yards rushing on 12 carries—or just 1.2 yards per attempt. That’s going to help win a lot of football games.
Linebackers
A.J. Klein led the team in tackles with six, Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly each recovered a fumble and the linebackers swarmed, taking away the middle of the field. It wasn’t a major statistical day, mostly because the running backs who would normally lead to linebacker tackles couldn’t get out of the backfield.
Defensive Backs
Colin Jones was burned on a 56-yard touchdown to DeSean Jackson early in the game, but other than that, the secondary clamped down. Cousins had just 207 yards passing, throwing an interception to Kurt Coleman—his fourth of the year, tying Josh Norman for the team lead. Bene Benwikere played well for the injured Charles Tillman, ending with five tackles and a quarterback sack.
Special Teams
The Panthers’ kickoff coverage unit allowed a 99-yard touchdown return to Andre Roberts, their first kickoff-return touchdown allowed since 2009. That helped even the score up at 14-14, before the offense really clicked into top gear and blew things out. The Panthers also only managed one yard on punt returns, despite Washington punting five times.
Coaching
Ron Rivera won a challenge in the first half, leading to a Ted Ginn touchdown. The Panthers also pulled out the intentional safety card with less than a minute left in the game—not a necessary move considering the score, but it was well-coached, and it’s good to know that kind of maneuver is on the team’s mind for when it might actually matter.
The only negative was leaving the starters in to begin the fourth quarter; with another game on Thursday and the result no longer in doubt, Rivera could have had a quicker hook on Newton and his other star players.
Cam Newton Sets a Career High, Franchise Record in Touchdowns
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One week after setting a personal best in consecutive completions to start a game, Cam Newton once again set personal records with an explosive first half.
Newton’s first-half line was 16-of-24 for 187 yards and four touchdowns. Newton had never thrown for four touchdowns in a game before, much less the first half, but he’s continued his career-best season, with his improved accuracy and decision-making, especially in the red zone, paying massive dividends.
That’s both a career high and a franchise record. The previous team record for first-half touchdowns was three, which Kerry Collins set against the San Francisco 49ers in 1996 and Steve Beuerlein tied against the 49ers in 1999. Newton’s previous high had just been two.
In the first half of the last two games, Newton is now 28-of-37 for 313 yards and five touchdowns. He’s getting off the blocks lightning-hot, allowing the defense to play more aggressively and setting up room for the running game. He’s been good all season, but he’s dialed things up to an entirely new level the past two weeks.
Newton ended the day with five touchdown passes, tying the franchise record Beuerlein set in 2000 against the New Orleans Saints. He keeps etching his name deeper and deeper into the franchise record book.
Panthers Defense Sets Team Record for Fumbles
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After giving up an early long bomb to DeSean Jackson, the Panthers clamped down. They allowed Washington a total of nine first downs, 186 yards (including just 14 on the ground, which is the lowest total in team history), sacked Kirk Cousins five times and allowed no points other than the early Jackson bomb—the other Washington touchdown came on a kickoff return, and the other two points were on an intentional safety late in the game.
Part of their dominance came on turnovers. Carolina forced Washington to fumble five times, recovering four of them. That’s the most in franchise history, according to the Panthers PR department. The five total takeaways tied for eighth-most in a game in franchise history.
This is a week after Washington had their best offensive performance in a decade, romping over the New Orleans Saints 47-14. For the second straight week, the Panthers have faced an opposing quarterback coming off an Offensive Player of the Week performance against the Saints and utterly shut them down.
It seems relatively safe to say that the Panthers defense is slightly better than the Saints defense. More relevantly, the defense is having a great season, up there with Denver for the league's best defense this season.
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Carolina Solidifying Playoff Position
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With their win—and Atlanta’s loss to Indianapolis—the Panthers have opened up a four-game lead in the NFC South. Their magic number in the division is three, so they won’t be able to clinch the division next week, but it would take a miracle for the team to somehow not win the division.
The Panthers will be able to clinch a playoff berth next week, though they won’t be able to do it on Thursday. A win against Dallas on Thursday will move the Panthers to 11-0, and losses by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks would bump them all down to six losses, meaning no one would be left to knock the Panthers out of the NFC's top six.
Of course, we’ve known that the Panthers would be in the playoffs for weeks at this point, and the division hasn’t really been in question for some time, either. According to PlayoffStatus.com’s projections after the early afternoon games, Carolina now has a 90 percent chance of earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a 98 percent chance of earning a bye week.
Any 5-1 record from this point on clinches the NFC's top seed, any 4-2 record gives the Panthers a bye, any 3-3 record clinches the division and any 2-4 record clinches a playoff berth, regardless of what happens around the league.
Carolina’s win eliminated the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions from possible home-field advantage, and it will eliminate the San Francisco 49ers as well if they lose to Seattle in the afternoon game. Carolina is beginning to mop up the conference as it continues to steamroll over its opposition.
Ron Rivera: Funchess Was “Kelvin-Esque”
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Devin Funchess, this year’s second-round pick, received the first start of his NFL career and responded well. He led the team in receptions and yards, scored a touchdown and prevented an interception in the end zone. It wasn’t the greatest day a receiver has ever had or anything, but it was a solid and promising performance and Funchess’ third good day in a row.
Coach Rivera had plenty of praise for Funchess after the game. “I liked that he went after the football and tried to make plays,” he said, per the team’s official Twitter account, and he continued to describe the day as “Kelvin-esque”, per the Black & Blue Review, referring to Kelvin Benjamin, who has been placed on injured reserve for the season.
I wouldn’t quite go as far as to say Funchess has been as good as Benjamin was at this point in his rookie campaign. By this point, Benjamin already had six games with 50 or more yards receiving and seven touchdowns, while Funchess is still finding his feet on an NFL level.
It was still an impressive performance, and Panthers fans can dream of next season, when Benjamin and Funchess will be the starting receivers, letting Ted Ginn or Corey Brown play the deep-threat speedster role they’re more suited for.
As for this season, Funchess’ emergence onto the scene is just what Carolina needed. The receiving corps has played above their talent level this season, and Funchess bouncing to the top of the depth chart helps shore up one of the few weaknesses this team has.
Cam Newton: “We Have to Get Better”
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Despite setting multiple personal bests and franchise records, Newton didn’t seem quite satisfied with the team’s performance. He used the word “sluggish” to describe the team’s start—a start which included a franchise-record 31 points in the first half.
“We have to get better; I can tell you that,” Newton said, per Michael Persinger of the Charlotte Observer. “The first drive was a three-and-out, and we can’t let that happen. Winning covers up a lot.”
While it’s true that teams can always get better, and there were some individual plays and even a couple of series that were not successful in this one, calling the performance “sluggish” is hyperbole to say the least. The Panthers can’t perform much better than they did against Washington, and while it’s commendable that Newton would be looking to improve even the small inefficiencies the offense saw in this game, it’s alright sometimes to say that you were performing on all cylinders.
Josh Norman: Morgan Moses “Be Trippin”
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In the locker room after the game, Josh Norman took umbrage with Washington left tackle Morgan Moses’ action during the game.
Norman noted that Moses was doing a lot of extra hitting, chipping and talking after the whistle all game long. “I’m like, dude, you’re getting your tail kicked,” he said in the locker room.
“I don’t care how big you are. It really doesn’t matter…it doesn’t matter if you want to hit me or chip me, I’m not going to sit back there and be lax about it; I’m going to do something about it.”
The game did get a bit chippy in the second half as Washington fell further and further behind. You could see they were frustrated in their body language on the sideline and in the huddle between plays. Norman said that he wanted to retaliate against Moses, but thought better of it.
“I realize it’s a team game, and I don’t want to do anything to hurt my teammates or take anything away from them and how they’re planning, so I try to be mindful of that.”
Norman remained calm, and Washington’s fury sputtered out as the Panthers clamped down in the second half.
Bryan Knowles is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers. Follow him @BryKno on Twitter.
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