Picking up right where they left off last week, the Panthers secured another upset victory, this time against the Cardinals – treating their 5,120 fans at the stadium to a convincing 31-21 victory.
Here are our winners and losers from the team’s second win of the season.
Winner: QB Teddy Bridgewater
Bridgewater had his most well-rounded game yet. He completed 26 of 37 pass attempts, totaling 276 yards, two touchdowns, one pick and a passer rating of 98.5. Perhaps the highlight of the game was his 18-yard rushing touchdown on a scramble straight up the middle as his pocket collapsed. Bridgewater proved he is capable both in the passing and rushing game, leaving no hint that he suffered a devastating knee injury a few years ago.
Loser: WR Curtis Samuel in the backfield
This idea didn’t work last week and it definitely didn’t work this week. At this point, Joe Brady and the Panthers offense is struggling to find the right way to utilize this dynamic wideout. Lining up in the backfield, Samuel rushed for -3 yards off two attempts, but in the passing game, he managed 51 yards off three catches. Samuel’s skillset is a unique one, but it’s becoming clear that runs up the middle are not his forte.
Winner: WR Robby Anderson
Anderson has become a regular guest here and the preferred No. 1 target of Teddy Bridgewater. Today was no exception, as the fifth-year wideout brought in eight receptions for 99 yards. The Bridgewater-Anderson connection has yielded 377 receiving yards over four games, so it’s safe to say that the signing of Anderson this offseason was one of the best moves of 2020 by the Panthers front office.
Loser: LB Tahir Whitehead
Coverage issues have plagued Whitehead’s time in Carolina and that trend continued, today. The Panthers defense also failed to contain Kyler Murray’s scrambling, allowing him to rush for 78 yards off just six attempts, most of them coming on a single play where Whitehead blew an attempted tackle badly.
Winner: The backup running backs
Following up on an impressive performance against the Chargers last Sunday, Davis rushed for 84 yards off 16 carries and caught five passes for 27 yards. Not to be forgotten, though, Reggie Bonnafon also put together a strong performance, adding 71 total yards and a receiving score. Don’t be surprised if Bonnafon takes Trenton Cannon’s place on the 53-man roster.
Loser: Too many penalties
This young defense played well all game, but the unit did play a little undisciplined once garbage time arrived. In a single late-game drive, Brian Burns had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Kawann Short got called for a neutral zone infraction and Donte Jackson was flagged for a defensive pass interference in the end zone. Although the penalties didn’t have a major impact on the game’s outcome, Matt Rhule will want to address them at practice this week.
Winner: DE Yetur Gross-Matos
Carolina’s 2020 second-round draft pick put together an impressive performance against Arizona, maintaining constant pressure on Kyler Murray. With the exception of a few breakaway scrambles, Gross-Matos, Burns and company consistently put Murray in a tough position to move the chains. To cap it off, Gross-Matos had a strip-sack that resulted in a fumble recovery by safety Tre Boston after a booth review.
Winner: OC Joe Brady
Five different Panthers had touchdowns in their stat lines today, and a lot of that credit can go to offensive coordinator Brady’s strategy, which kept Arizona guessing all game.
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