Key matchups for Panthers vs. Falcons in Week 15

Panthers DT Derrick Brown is primed to enjoy some bird in Week 15.

Can the Carolina Panthers, through all the adversity and the all the incoming rain, break their six-game losing streak and notch their second win of the 2023 campaign?

If they do, here are three key matchups in Week 15 that’ll help them get there:

Panthers place Justin McCray on season-ending IR

Along with TE Hayden Hurst, the Panthers have also placed G Justin McCray on season-ending inured reserve.

Hayden Hurst has himself some company.

As expected, the Carolina Panthers have officially placed the sixth-year tight end on injured reserve due to his concussion. They also announced on Friday afternoon that he’ll be joined on the shelf by guard Justin McCray, who sustained a calf injury in last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.

McCray, who had previous ties to offensive line coach James Campen, first joined the Panthers as a free agent this past spring. He would eventually be cut during the team’s move to their initial 53-man roster and was then brought back as a member of the practice squad.

The 31-year-old played in four games this season, with starts in each of the past two weeks. Upon leaving this past Sunday’s outing after just one offensive snap, McCray was replaced at left guard by Cade Mays—who is likely to get the starting nod against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend.

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Panthers likely to start Cade Mays at LG in Week 15

The Panthers will seemingly be rolling with Cade Mays at LG in Week 15.

The instability of the Carolina Panthers’ interior offensive line will continue into Week 15. But perhaps a bit of promise from Week 14 can help get them through the rest of a rough campaign.

On Wednesday, interim head coach Chris Tabor did not rule out the possibility that Justin McCray, who started at left guard in last Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, will miss the rest of the season with a calf injury. He did, however, just about confirm that Cade Mays—who came on in relief of McCray—will get the nod against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend.

Mays played in 79 of the offense’s 80 snaps in Week 15. His outing yielded an 89.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus—the highest single-game mark for any Panthers offensive lineman this season.

Tabor was asked what that performance told him about the second-year hog molly.

“It talks a lot about him, obviously, as player, No. 2—about his preparation and his process,” Tabor replied. “And that he’s locked in, ready to go. So that he’s getting, whether it be scout team reps, those reps matter. And I think that’s what the kid did and I’m proud of him.”

With injuries to their usual guards in Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett, the Panthers have been forced to use five different starters on the left and six different starters on the right.

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Top takeaways from Panthers’ snap counts in Week 14 loss to Saints

Cade Mays stepped in and stepped up for the Panthers in Week 14.

Somehow, we’ve found a way to shed a positive light on yet another Carolina Panthers loss.

Here are three (encouraging) takeaways from the snap counts in Week 14’s defeat to the New Orleans Saints:

Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers’ Week 14 loss to Saints

Panthers RB Miles Sanders earned his highest PFF grade of the season for his efficient Week 14 performance.

The Carolina Panthers recorded a grand total of zero touchdowns in their 28-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. But, in a bit of a surprise, a few of their offensive players impressed the film buffs.

Oh, and some didn’t.

Here are the best and worst Pro Football Focus grades from the Week 14 defeat:

Panthers sign G Gabe Jackson to practice squad

With the injuries piling up along their offensive line, the Panthers have signed G Gabe Jackson to their practice squad.

In need of some help along their offensive line, the Carolina Panthers just added one of the biggest hog mollies they could find.

The team announced this afternoon that they have signed guard Gabe Jackson to their practice squad. The 6-foot-3, 335-pounder, as already reported by Bleacher Report NFL insider Jordan Schultz, had been slated for a visit today.

Jackson, a Mississippi State University product, was taken in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft by the then Oakland Raiders. The 81st overall pick went on to play seven seasons with the organization, recording 99 starts over 100 games.

He was then traded to the Seattle Seahawks following the 2020 campaign in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Jackson proceeded to start in each of his 31 games for Seattle during the 2021 and 2022 season before being released on March 10, 2023.

Not only have the Panthers lost both of their starting guards in Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen for the season, but they also saw youngsters Chandler Zavala and Cade Mays exit with injuries in this past Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.

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Panthers Week 12 inactives: Brett Toth to start at RG vs. Titans

The Panthers will start Brett Toth at RG in Week 12.

The Carolina Panthers’ plan at right guard has finally been revealed, and it’s a bit of a shocker.

With Austin Corbett out for the remainder of the season due to an MCL injury, Brett Toth—who was signed back on Oct. 24—will get the starting nod this afternoon against the Tennessee Titans. The team also announced that Cade Mays, the perceived favorite to overtake Corbett’s duties, and Nash Jensen are active for the contest.

Carolina, additionally, is expected to start cornerback David Long Jr. alongside Donte Jackson. Jaycee Horn (hamstring) and CJ Henderson (concussion) have been ruled out and did not travel with the team to Nashville.

Fellow cornerback Lamar Jackson was elevated from the practice squad yesterday to provide some depth at the position.

Here is the full list of inactives for the Panthers today:

  • RB Raheem Blackshear
  • CB CJ Henderson
  • TE Hayden Hurst
  • OT Ricky Lee
  • WR Terrace Marshall Jr.

And as for the host Titans:

  • WR Treylon Burks
  • S Terrell Edmunds
  • LB Trevis Gipson
  • LB Caleb Murphy
  • QB Malik Willis

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4 key matchups for Panthers vs. Titans in Week 12

Two very big Derricks are set to clash in Nashville on Sunday.

Can the Carolina Panthers finally get back into the win column this Sunday against the host Tennessee Titans?

If they do, here are four key matchups that’ll him help notch their second victory here in Week 12:

4 key matchups for Panthers vs. Dolphins in Week 6

Donte Jackson and the rest of the Panthers’ secondary have a very tough task ahead of them in Week 6.

It’s been a brutal first five weeks of the season for the Carolina Panthers, who are huge underdogs once again. This week, they get the high-flying Miami Dolphins—who can put up points with the best of them.

So, if the Panthers want to have a chance to notch their first win of the campaign, especially against their dynamic hosts, something’s got to give.

Here are four key matchups for Week 6:

Top takeaways from Panthers’ snap counts in Week 2 loss to Saints

The Panthers let OLB Yetur Gross-Matos eat a bit more in Week 2.

Between navigating through a new infrastructure and dealing with a handful of key injuries, the Carolina Panthers have had quite the task in figuring out who to put on the field so far.

That learning process continued in Monday night’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, with these key takeaways from the game’s snap counts: