Putting an assertive end to a five-game losing streak, P.J. Walker and the Carolina Panthers secured a 20-0 win over the Detroit Lions at home today in the team’s best defensive performance of the season.
Here are our winners and losers from Sunday’s game.
Winner: Carolina’s pass rush
When they weren’t busy sacking Matthew Stafford, the Panthers were still making it awfully hard for the veteran QB to complete passes. While Brian Burns kicked things off in the second quarter with a pass deflection on a screen pass that was nearly a pick-six, the defensive line wound up taking turns teeing off on Stafford by the fourth quarter. By the end of the game, Zach Kerr, Yetur Gross-Matos and Efe Obada all had a sack in addition to the two for Burns. The team tallied 11 QB hits – key to the shutout.
Loser: QB P.J. Walker’s end-zone picks
In his first NFL start, the former XFL standout quarterback P.J. Walker had some ups and downs. While he looked good for most of the Panthers’ drives, two of them ended with a turnover in the end zone. The first one was a clear rookie-type mistake and something Walker will look to improve on, as the interception came after he stared down his target long enough for the defenders to easily read his eyes. With time, he’ll learn not to do that.
Winner: WR D.J. Moore
Moore had a slow start to the season, but he’s picked it up lately and today posted a huge line against the Lions for the second time in his career. Early in the first half, Moore hauled in a perfect deep ball by P.J. Walker for a 52-yard gain, then the yards just kept on coming. Moore finished with a season-high 127 yards on seven receptions. The Panthers are quietly making a case to have one of the top WR trios in the league with Moore, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel, who combined for 22 catches and 243 yards.
Loser: RB Rodney Smith
The Panthers coaching staff must have been really impressed with the undrafted rookie coming out of this week of practice. In fact, Smith looked like he was splitting even carries with Mike Davis early on. Smith blew his chance with a key fumble, though. Luckily, Carolina recovered, but his touches effectively ended there. Davis took over and looked like his old self, so it’s fair to say Smith missed an opportunity, here.
Winner: LB Jermaine Carter, Jr.
With the veteran linebacker Tahir Whitehead out with a rib injury, the Panthers coaching staff gave the starting nod to Jermaine Carter, Jr., the third-year rotational linebacker who has impressed in his limited minutes thus far. The move clearly paid off, with Carter contributing to a stout Carolina run defense that limited the Lions’ running backs to just 40 yards and no touchdowns.
Loser: Panthers tight ends
This position has been one of the only losers of this Joe Brady offense. Even when everything else seems to be clicking, the team’s tight ends have not justified getting anything more than a blocking role. Today, Ian Thomas was never even targeted, while Chris Manhertz dropped his only one.
Winner: DE Marquis Haynes
Marquis Haynes managed to scoop up a fumble late in the first quarter off a muffed snap by the Lions. After filling a miniscule role through his first two years, Haynes has put together some standout performances in 2020, already totaling three sacks and two fumble recoveries through 11 games.
Loser: Offensive line depth
It’s not that the offensive line played poorly, but the team has taken a couple of major hits with three key starters now down. Right guard John Miller and left tackle Russell Okung were both ruled out prior to the game, so Carolina called on backup guard Dennis Daley to start in Miller’s place. However, Daley was ruled out early and placed in the concussion protocol.
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