A dud of a third quarter was the ultimate decider for the Carolina Panthers in their first loss of the 2021 season. And that, of course, produced some more pointed duds in the disappointing 36-28 outcome.
But, hey, we’re fair and jolly over here. So let’s give you some studs, along with those duds, from the Week 4 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys.
Stud: DJ Moore
Moore has been an absolute workhorse this season. He added another 113 yards and two scores on eight catches against Dallas. The fourth-year wideout is now in pace for nearly 1,700 receiving yards on the campaign.
Dud: Sam Darnold’s arm
Besides what it did for Moore, Darnold’s passing game was pretty frightening. Even despite having passed for his third straight 300-yard outing, he missed on a bunch of chain-movers downfield and forced way too many a ball into non-existent windows.
The poor decision-making and missed chances gave us flashbacks of Darnold’s New York Jets tenure.
Stud: Sam Darnold’s feet
Well, at least he found another body part that kinda worked out for him. Darnold ran for two scores on the day, becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to record five rushing touchdowns in the first four games of a season.
Dud: Panthers defense. All of it.
Nearly nothing went well for what was a white-hot unit. Coming in, they had allowed just 10 points and 45 rushing yards per game with a league-best 14 sacks.
They came out allowing 36 points and 245 rushing yards with zero sacks. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, in fact, was hit just once. No pressure, no dice.
Stud: Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard’s final line won’t jump out at you, as he totaled 71 yards from scrimmage (57 rushing) on 15 touches. The rookie’s patience, footwork and agility, however, should’ve. He looked quite solid in his first NFL start.
Dud: Panthers offensive line
Perhaps Hubbard could’ve benefitted more from a better showing from this unit. But there’s no question Darnold certainly could have.
Darnold was hit 11 times for five sacks.
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