3 winners and 3 losers from Carolina Panthers’ loss at the Bills in Week 15
By Jason Huber
Yetur Gross-Matos – Carolina Panthers DL
With all the great defensive performances that the Carolina Panthers have had this year, Yetur Gross-Matos, last year’s second-round pick, had quietly become an afterthought on defense.
But on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the former Penn State star proved why he was such a high draft pick, putting together a very solid performance.
With Carolina missing defensive tackle Derrick Brown to COVID-19, Gross-Matos stepped up when needed, sacking Bills quarterback Josh Allen 2.5 times.
Gross-Matos hadn’t received much playing time this year. However, the lineman proved that when given the opportunity, he can be a valuable part of this Panthers defense.
The 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, and a forced fumble led Carolina’s defense. Gross-Matos made Allen’s day much tougher, even if it failed to have an impact on the overall result.
It’s been harder and harder to find bright spots with the losses continuing to pile up week after week. But Gross-Matos’ performance should be a big bright spot and the Panthers would be wise to keep the player heavily involved over the remaining three fixtures based on this production.