Carolina Panthers earn poor grades despite win over Philadelphia Eagles

Carolina Panthers get the win over defending Super Bowl champions despite poor performance.

The Carolina Panthers completed an unprecedented comeback in Philadelphia after a dismal performance spanning three quarters of action. Never before had the Panthers clawed their way back from a 17 point deficit entering the fourth quarter but on Sunday, quarterback Cam Newton orchestrated three consecutive touchdown scoring drives and the defense held on for a win.

After being shut out in the first half and accumulating just 83 total yards, Carolina received just one possession in the third quarter. A 10-play drive ended in a punt after running back Christian McCaffrey lost seven yards and Newton got flagged for intentional grounding backing the Panthers out of field goal range.

Philadelphia would score another touchdown on their ensuing possession, pushing the margin to 17 and leaving little hope for a Carolina team struggling to find their identity. However, a few touchdowns and solid defensive effort down the stretch allowed the Panthers to celebrate after a poor performance.

Quarterback – B

Newton completed 64-percent of his passes, which should have been higher if not for receivers suffering multiple drops down the field. Through the first three quarters Carolina had only 68 yards passing but Newton finished with 269 and two touchdowns.

Running Back – C-

Running back Christian McCaffrey contributed in both the pass and run games but his biggest impact may have come without the football. Used in the backfield with fellow running back C.J. Anderson, the Panthers used some misdirection and wide receiver Curtis Samuel ended up with a 14-yard rushing touchdown.

Receivers – C

There are times that Newton misses his target, but far too often on Sunday the receivers didn’t help out on offense. Eventually, this unit got things going down the stretch leading to two big touchdowns, including the game winning strike to tight end Greg Olsen but for three quarters they appeared out of sync.

Offensive Line – B-

Quarterback protection was solid for a majority of the game minus one sack allowed by left tackle Chris Clark and another where Newton attempted to escape the pocket but backed his way into the arms of an Eagles defender. The run game again struggled to find consistency but overall it was an above average day for this unit.

Defensive Line – B-

Defensively, the Panthers limited the Eagles rushing attack but came up big with four sacks of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, including a game sealing strip-sack from Julius Peppers with the game on the line.

Linebacker – B-

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Luke Kuechly led all Carolina defensive players with 14 tackles and a sack of his own. He routinely sniffed out Philadelphia ball carriers and attempts at screen passes designed to alter the linebackers playmaking capabilities but there assistance in the short passing game was nearly non-existent.

Secondary – D-

The impact of Zach Ertz was apparent and the Carolina secondary continued to struggle against tight ends allowing him to catch nine passes for 138 yards. Rookie Dallas Goedert also added four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown from the position.

Special Teams – F

For the second consecutive week Carolina special teams earned a failing grade. Back-to-back false start penalties moved the Panthers out of field goal range and kicker Graham Gano missed another extra point, in addition to his second field goal attempt which was nullified by the preceding penalty.

dark. Next. CAR at PHI - 3 Stars

Overall, a poor performance from a number of the Panthers position groups on both sides of the football. However, the end result was a victory and an ugly win is better than a pretty loss any day.

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