The Carolina Panthers secured a big road win against the Philadelphia Eagles to capture an expanded lead in the NFC South.
It was an impressive win for head coach Dave Canales, whose offense is considered one of the best in the NFL thanks to the incredible play of quarterback Bryce Young and a defense that is playing great football.
After spending much of the day after Sunday's game watching the All-22 film, I've come up with some key observations from the Panthers' successful trip to Philadelphia that gave them a Rocky Balboa-style knockout.
- Hallmark defensive line performance
- Tommy Tremble's great day
- Brad Idzik's and 13 personnel
- Will Lee III and Zakee Wheatley continue to shine
Hallmark defensive line performance
Week 1 looks like an outlier for what the Panthers' defensive front truly is.
On Sunday, the Panthers allowed only 35 net yards on the ground and 2.7 yards per rush play. The defensive line played stoutly, and Tershawn Wharton returned this week after a neck injury kept him out for the first four games of the season.
Star defensive lineman Derrick Brown was disruptive, getting a couple of pressures, using power, and stalemating against the run. Rookie Lee Hunter flashed again with several penetration plays to fill gaps and trash the running backs' track, and undrafted rookie Aaron Hall had a couple of impressive reps as a pass rusher and run defender.
Wharton also had some solid reps in his first game of the season, including a nice stack and toss of Eagles guard Tyler Steen to stuff the B-gap.
Yes, the Eagles offensive line was not good for most of the day. However, good football is good football, and the Panthers' defensive front played exceptionally.
Tommy Tremble's great day
For a player like Tommy Tremble, you don't need to be Brock Bowers to be good at what you do. He is a versatile tight end who can be effective wherever he lines up, whether in the slot, in-line, as an H-back, fullback, or wing.
What stood out beyond his receiving was his blocking. Tremble has always been a good blocker, but it was on full display for the Panthers, especially in the second half, helping to break off some big runs for running back Chuba Hubbard.
Tremble is powerful, plays physically, and is a great athlete as a pass-catcher, where yards after the catch comes into play. He does his job well, and he is evolving toward maybe his best season yet.
Brad Idzik's and 13 personnel
Teams have gotten more creative with personnel usage, especially 13 personnel. Having bigger, athletic bodies on the field in tighter formations forces defenses to play more base, and it lets offenses attack them with athletic tight ends.
Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik took advantage of that on Sunday.
I liked how Idzik used 13 personnel to attack the Eagles, both on the ground and through the air.
In the passing game, Idzik would motion the tight end, usually Darren Waller, all the way out across the formation, with Tetairoa McMillan replacing the responsibility and defender to attack. Waller would get the cornerback, while McMillan attacked the safety.
Some of these resulted in chunk plays for McMillan.
In the run game, McMillan was sometimes replaced by Brycen Tremayne, especially late in the game as the Panthers ran the clock out with Hubbard. Tremayne's ability as a blocker was used on the edge and at times to insert the B-gap tackle on the second-level defender.
According to SumerSports, the Panthers used 13 personnel at an 18.9 percent rate, 10 percent more than the rest of the league in Week 6.
Will Lee III and Zakee Wheatley continue to shine
The Panthers have started most of their games with three safeties on the field, and one of them has been rookie Zakee Wheatley, a standout first-year defensive talent in the NFL.
Wheatley continues to outshine his fifth-round value from the spring, showcasing great tackling ability in space and continued growth as a coverage defender. He's starting to see the game faster and is letting the NFL's speed slow him with each repetition.
The former Penn State standout is due for his first interception, and he nearly got one in the second half with good range and closing speed.
As for Will Lee III, his growth from Week 1 has been excellent.
He did have some rookie moments, but there have been fewer each week. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is beginning to trust his rookie more on an island, letting him play to his strengths as a man defender while continuing to grow as a zone defender.
Lee made some great plays against Philadelphia star wideout DeVonta Smith, attacking the ball at the catch point, forcing incompletions, using recovery speed to regain the hip pocket and stay in phase, and having disciplined footwork in man coverage.
General manager Dan Morgan continues to produce with his past two draft classes on the third day of the selection process. Lee and Wheatley seem to be his latest gems.
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