Category: Stats

Panthers’ Bryce Young joins Josh Allen, Joe Burrow as only QBs to do this in 2024 . . .

Bryce Young led the Panthers into some elite company here in 2024.

Joe Burrow, Josh Allen . . . and Bryce Young.

Those are the only three quarterbacks, here in the 2024 campaign, to lead their offenses to at least 25 points against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, their Week 12 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs ended in defeat. Despite a valiant effort, Young and his cats just missed pulling off the biggest upset of the year in what would be a 30-27 loss.

Nevertheless, those 27 points should mean something—especially when they were scored on one of the NFL’s tightest defenses. And they may mean even more when you consider that the only other teams to do it have a Most Valuable Player candidate and a top quarterback playing his best career ball under center.

Oh, and here’s a list of pretty good offenses that fell short of that mark versus Kansas City this season:

  • Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens
  • Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta Falcons
  • Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers
  • Brock Purdy’s San Francisco 49ers
  • Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Young finished his day with a season-high 263 passing yards while the Panthers converted on five of their 13 third-down attempts and both of their fourth-down tries. They totaled 334 yards.

Carolina was also just the third team to score on at least 75 percent of their drives against the Chiefs since they’ve been led by head coach Andy Reid (2013).

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Panthers’ Eddy Piñeiro is now NFL’s most accurate FG kicker ever . . . and he didn’t even play this week

Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro became the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history on Sunday . . . and he didn’t even play. Here’s how:

Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro became the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history on Sunday . . . and he didn’t even play.

Piñeiro, while enjoying his team’s bye, entered Week 11 with a career field goal rate of 89.381 percent—the second-highest ever. That mark had him barely behind Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who sat atop the all-time list at 89.716 percent.

Well, Tucker didn’t have himself a very good showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers this afternoon.

The future Hall of Famer started off his outing by missing on a 47-yard attempt almost 10 minutes into the first quarter. He’d then miss his next try, a 50-yarder, on Baltimore’s very next possession.

Tucker was able to shake off the pair of whiffs to successfully convert on his third go, a 54-yarder with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter. But it wouldn’t be enough to recover in the ranks.

Those misses, even along with the make, now have Tucker at 89.347 percent—.034 percent below Piñeiro.

Congrats, Steady Eddy!

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Panthers QB Bryce Young sits alongside 2024 MVP candidates in this stat . . .

Panthers QB Bryce Young, since returning to the starting lineup three weeks ago, has something in common with MVP front-runners Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.

Hey, look at Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young with 2024 Most Valuable Player front-runners Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.

Who would have thought?

Not us.

Since returning to the starting lineup three weeks ago, Young has inspired at least a sprinkle of hope for the Panthers. The much-improved version of last year’s No. 1 overall pick has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 521 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions while helping lead Carolina to a 2-1 mark.

He’s also, perhaps more impressively, done this . . .

The first of those drives came near the end of the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos. Young orchestrated a 10-play, 98-yard possession that finished up with a 15-play touchdown throw to rookie wideout Jalen Coker.

The second happened this past Sunday, in the first quarter of the 20-17 victory over the New York Giants. That one was punctuated by a 5-yard connection between Young and rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders for the opening points of the contest.

As of this writing, Carolina head coach Dave Canales still has yet to commit to Young as the starter moving forward.

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Panthers achieve something 275 teams before them did not with Week 9 win

The Panthers pulled off a historically-improbable win in Week 9. Check out this insane stat:

The Carolina Panthers’ unbelievable upset win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday was improbable in more ways than one.

Week 9 saw the Panthers claw past the Saints on their way to a 23-22 victory. That triumph also saw, well, this . . .

New Orleans accumulated a total of 427 yards, with 197 of them coming through the ground. Carolina, on the other, amassed all of 246 total yards and 80 rushing yards.

The lone interception charged to quarterback Bryce Young also gave the Saints the lone takeaway of the outing. That robbery went down about five minutes into the fourth quarter, when Young dropped a beauty of a deep ball into wide receiver Xavier Legette—who’d have the rock snatched clean out of his hands by cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles.

But hey, the Panthers—who are now 4-22 over the last two seasons—will probably be glad to take a win any way they can get one.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 4 loss to Bengals

He wasn’t as sharp as he was in Week 3, but Andy Dalton helped lead the way for the Panthers offense once again.

Even in defeat, the Carolina Panthers seem to be getting a bit closer to who they want to be. And now, for a second straight week, their Pro Football Focus grades seem to be indicating who is helping them find that identity.

Here are the best and worst marks from Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals:

Best of the offense

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

1. QB Andy Dalton: 79.1
2. RB Miles Sanders: 73.4
3. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders: 72.7
4. WR Diontae Johnson: 71.5
5. RB Chuba Hubbard: 69.5

Dalton leads the group after a second-place finish in last week’s 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He completed 25 of his 40 throws for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Johnson and Hubbard also starred on offense again. The former reeled in seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown while the latter rushed for a game-high 104 yards and a score on 18 carries.

Worst of the offense

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

22. OL Brady Christensen: 57.5
23. WR Jalen Coker: 56.6
24. WR David Moore: 54.5
25. WR Jonathan Mingo: 52.3
26. TE Tommy Tremble: 45.2

Mingo caught three of his five targets for a combined 24 yards. One of the misses was charged as a drop, his first of the season.

Best of the defense

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

1. ILB Shaq Thompson: 79.5
2. OLB Thomas Incoom: 77.0
3. OLB Jadeveon Clowney: 69.1
4. OLB DJ Johnson: 67.4
5. CB Jaycee Horn: 66.8

On a day where the defense really struggled to wrap up, Thompson and Horn picked up three stops apiece.

Horn, in addition, allowed four receptions for 33 yards over seven targets.

Worst of the defense

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

15. ILB Trevin Wallace: 51.4
16. CB Troy Hill: 51.1
17. NT Nick Thurman: 50.1
18. DE LaBryan Ray: 45.6
19. OLB Charles Harris: 38.7

Both Hill and Harris were chalked up with two missed tackles. One of Harris’ came on the 63-yard touchdown by Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 3 win over Raiders

Chuba Hubbard is now the owner of PFF’s highest single-game offensive grade for the Panthers here in 2024.

The Carolina Panthers finally put some pretty football on tape.

Here are the best (and worst) Pro Football Focus grades from Week 3’s 36-22 win over the Las Vegas Raiders:

Best of the offense

Louis Grasse/Getty Images

1. RB Chuba Hubbard: 90.6
2. QB Andy Dalton: 78.8
3. WR Diontae Johnson: 77.1
4. LT Ikem Ekwonu: 76.2
5. WR Adam Thielen: 70.4

For the first time since 2022, Carolina had a 300-yard passer (Dalton), a 100-yard rusher (Hubbard) and a 100-yard receiver (Johnson) in a single game. Hubbard’s 90.6 overall offensive grade is the highest for any Panther in 2024.

Ekwonu turned in his best outing of the campaign, earning season-highs in pass-blocking (72.6) and run-blocking (83.1) marks.

Worst of the offense

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

15. WR Xavier Legette: 54.6
16. RG Brady Christensen: 54.1
17. TE Tommy Tremble: 52.0
18. LG Chandler Zavala: 48.2
19. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders: 43.1

Zavala came in for 22 snaps following the elbow injury to starting left guard Damien Lewis. He did not allow a single pressure, but was hit with a 58.0 run-blocking grade.

Best of the defense

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

1. DT A’Shawn Robinson: 82.5
2. CB Troy Hill: 79.4
3. DT Jayden Peevy: 74.1
4. ILB Josey Jewell: 73.6
5. OLB Tarron Jackson: 69.6

Robinson picked up the slack in the absence of fellow starting defensive lineman Shy Tuttle, tallying five pressures and a stop. Peevy also stood tall, recording a pair of pressures and a pair of stops.

Worst of the defense

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

15. FS Xavier Woods: 51.0
16. ILB Trevin Wallace: 49.7
17. DT DeShawn Williams: 49.4
18. SS Nick Scott: 48.4
19. SS Jammie Robinson: 41.2

Wallace was charged with wideout Jakobi Meyers’ 13-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

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Panthers boast some of PFF’s highest-graded OLs entering Week 3

The hog mollies in Carolina have been putting in work to start the season.

Between their disappointing 0-2 start and the benching of last year’s No. 1 overall pick, the Carolina Panthers haven’t given fans much reason to smile to start the 2024 campaign. But there may just be one thing in Charlotte worth celebrating.

The hog mollies have flown under the radar in the first two weeks of the season. A major point of emphasis during the spring, the retooled offensive line is churning out some of the best numbers in the NFL thus far.

According to Pro Football Focus, it’s Austin Corbett who’s leading all players at his position in pass protection. The guard-turned-center has yet to relinquish a single pressure and currently has an 83.5 pass-blocking grade—the highest at the spot.

Robert Hunt, Corbett’s reason for his transition to the middle, has been getting some work in as well. The $100 million man is earning his huge deal to this point, ranking second amongst all guards with an 86.0 pass-blocking mark.

Fellow free-agent signee and guard Damien Lewis isn’t too shabby either, ranking 16th in the category with a 76.6 grade.

While both tackles for the Panthers fall a bit behind their interior, they have still been solid. Right tackle Taylor Moton, in particular, grades out as the 15th-best offensive tackle in pass protection (77.6).

So even though the offense as a whole has been hindered by suboptimal quarterback play, one could point to this offensive line as a reason to still have hope for the group. And with a more functional quarterback under center, perhaps the team can actually find its first win (and smiles) of the season.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 2 loss to Chargers

Once again, QB Bryce Young finished with the worst offensive grade for the Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers gave us some more of the same here in Week 2. Sunday’s home opener, like last week’s regular-season opener, yielded a punchless performance—leading to a 26-3 loss at the hands of the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.

Their outing also led to some more of the same from Pro Football Focus.

Here are the best and worst grades from the latest defeat:

Best of the offense

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

1. RG Robert Hunt: 74.1
2. TE Jordan Matthews: 69.8
3. RT Taylor Moton: 67.1
4. RB Miles Sanders: 67.0
5. RB Chuba Hubbard: 65.7

Both Hunt, who finished in the top five last week, and Moton didn’t allow a single pressure.

Hubbard led the offense with 64 rushing yards on 10 carries.

Worst of the offense

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

12. WR Jonathan Mingo: 52.3
13. LG Damien Lewis: 51.6
14. WR Xavier Legette: 51.1
15. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders: 42.1
16. QB Bryce Young: 38.8

Young ends up at the very bottom for the second straight game, passing for a career-low 84 yards and an interception. His 32.6 grade last week and his 38.8 grade this week account for second- and third-worst PFF marks of his career.

Best of the defense

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

1. FS Jordan Fuller: 74.1
2. CB Jaycee Horn: 69.5
3. CB Mike Jackson: 65.7
4. ILB Shaq Thompson: 65.4
5. DT Jayden Peevy: 58.6

Horn bounced back after being on the butt of a 29-yard touchdown pass to wideout Quentin Johnston in the first quarter. He allowed just five more receiving yards the rest of the way out while picking up his first interception of the season and three stops.

Worst of the defense

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

12. OLB Eku Leota: 49.4
13. DE A’Shawn Robinson: 46.2
14. DT Nick Thurman: 45.4
15. DE LaBryan Ray: 43.1
16. OLB Jadeveon Clowney: 30.5

Clowney was tied for a team-high two pressures, but was charged with a pair of catches for 30 yards.

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No, Saints QB Derek Carr did not throw for 3 TDs on Panthers CB Jaycee Horn

Contrary to the viral clip, Panthers CB Jaycee Horn did not give up three TDs to Saints QB Derek Carr on Sunday. In fact, he didn’t give up any.

Yes, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr put on a fine performance in yesterday’s season-opening victory over the Carolina Panthers—completing 19 of his 23 throws for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

But no, those three touchdowns did not all come at the expense of cornerback Jaycee Horn. In fact, none of them did.

Seemingly nothing went right for the Panthers in Sunday’s 47-10 loss to the Saints, an absolutely abysmal performance that bred even more embarrassment for the struggling franchise. And amongst the upsetting images, stats and memes that emanated from the outing was this clip—which made its rounds through Twitter/X all afternoon . . .

Actually, it turns out Horn didn’t give up any completions to Carr.

According to Pro Football Focus, Horn wasn’t even targeted in the contest. PFF’s analysis of the game determined that Horn allowed zero completions on zero tries.

And we know what you’re thinking. How is that possible when we saw Horn chasing wideout Rashid Shaheed’s tail on a 59-yard touchdown just three minutes into the game?

Well, that score was charged to No. 20, safety Jordan Fuller. Horn, as shown by his gestures a bit later on during the broadcast, was expecting safety help over the top—which Fuller, who was also chasing Shaheed, did not provide.

As for Carr’s second and third touchdowns, Horn wasn’t on the assignment for either. Those were attributed to linebacker Shaq Thompson and, for a second time, Fuller . . .

So yeah, there were a ton of really ugly numbers for the Panthers in Week 1. And kudos to Carr and the Saints for throwing them up from start to finish.

But hey, at least No. 8 wasn’t responsible for some of those.

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Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 1 loss to Saints

Panthers QB Bryce Young was saddled with the second-worst PFF grade of his career.

As painful as this may be—let’s give it a go, shall we?

Here are the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades for the Carolina Panthers from their horrendous season-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints:

Best of the offense

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

1. LG Damien Lewis: 80.0
1. TE Feleipe Franks: 80.0
3. RG Robert Hunt: 79.5
4. C Austin Corbett: 71.7
5. RB Mike Boone: 69.0

Well, at least those investments on the interior offensive line paid off right away.

Only one pressure was attributed to the trio of Lewis, Hunt and Corbett. Each earned a pass-blocking grade of at least 84.6.

Worst of the offense

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

15. QB Andy Dalton: 53.3
16. TE Jordan Matthews: 47.5
17. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders: 47.4
18. WR Jonathan Mingo: 45.2
19. QB Bryce Young: 32.6

Young brings up the rear after one of the stinkiest showings of his NFL career. He completed 13 of his 30 passes for 161 yards and two errant interceptions.

Best of the defense

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

1. DE A’Shawn Robinson: 73.0
2. SS Xavier Woods: 71.5
3. DT Jayden Peevy: 70.8
4. OLB Jadeveon Clowney: 69.5
5. CB Mike Jackson: 65.1

Robinson, another free-agent signing from this spring, also played well in his Panthers debut. He, as did Woods, recorded a pair of stops.

Worst of offense

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

13. MLB Josey Jewell: 48.7
14. DE Derrick Brown: 47.7
15. DT Nick Thurman: 46.2
16. NT Shy Tuttle: 29.5
17. FS Jordan Fuller: 28.0

Fuller, in his first outing for Carolina, was charged with five receptions for 116 yards on five targets.

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