According to Pro Football Focus, the Panthers’ backup-turned-starter has thrown nine dropped interceptions this season.
Every NFL quarterback can get unlucky when it comes to interceptions. If a pass bounces off their receivers’ hands and gets picked off, it’s no fault of their own but a pick will still show up in the box score. There’s a flip-side to that coin, though. Some QBs throw a lot of passes that should be intercepted but get dropped by the defender. Kyle Allen is one of them.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Panthers’ backup-turned-starter has thrown nine dropped interceptions this season. That ties him with Giants rookie Daniel Jones for the third-most in the league. Only Jameis Winston and the ghost of Philip Rivers have thrown more.
Here are the leaders in dropped interceptions for the season from the @PFF database.
Allen has thrown 10 actual interceptions, as well.
It’s odd that Allen’s remaining supporters likely criticized Cam Newton for his accuracy, but Allen has been no better than Cam at the lowest points of his carer. He’s completing just 61.5% of his passes this year.
That being said, Allen may yet develop into a legitimate starter. He has a lot to improve on, though. Allen’s habit of panicking when his first read isn’t open is the most glaring problem area. A better offensive line would help make him more comfortable, but for now the unit is what it is.
Allen will keep getting chances to improve. Coach Ron Rivera reiterated to the media today that Allen will continue to start at QB.
Peterson said McCaffrey is on a whole other level. McCaffrey replied back, calling AP a legend.
Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Redskins featured two of the best running backs of our time. Christian McCaffrey is the best in the NFL right now. Adrian Peterson has previously held that title at the peak of his career, though. After the game, the two backs showed a lot of respect for each other and exchanged jerseys. Today, they traded compliments on Twitter.
Peterson said McCaffrey is on a whole other level. McCaffrey replied back, calling AP a legend.
McCaffrey’s future looks brighter, especially now that Peterson is near the tail end of his career. This week it was Peterson’s team that shined on the ground, though.
Washington totaled 248 rushing yards in Sunday’s win over Carolina – a season high. Peterson accounted for 99 of them, averaging 7.6 yards per carry and scoring a touchdown. Derrius Guice did even more damage. He posted 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries.
Meanwhile, McCaffrey had an uncharacteristically quiet game. He was ineffective as a rusher, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry on 14 attempts. Even more surprising, he struggled as a receiver. McCaffrey only caught seven of 13 targets from Kyle Allen and he dropped a few of them.
McCaffrey will bounce back. Whether the Panthers can find a way to stop the likes of Peterson and Guice is another story.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera just wrapped up his regular Monday press conference.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera just wrapped up his regular Monday press conference. He answered questions about the team’s four-game losing streak, his own job security and a few key players.
First up, fans who are holding out hope that we might get to see what third-round draft pick Will Grier can do this season are not going to like this. Rivera told reporters that Kyle Allen will continue to start at quarterback.
Kyle Allen will continue to start for the Panthers, Ron Rivera says.
Allen played brilliantly two weeks ago against the Saints, but he floundered against a far inferior Redskins team after a hot start. On the deciding play of the game, he missed a wide open Jarius Wright in the end zone even though he appeared to be looking right at him. Instead of letting it fly, Allen scrambled and ran himself into another sack.
That sort of up-and-down dynamic has defined Allen’s season. It’s also pretty typical of a backup quarterback – even a good one like Allen. The Panthers should definitely keep him around for that role. However, we know what Allen is. It’s past time to find out what Grier can be.
For whatever reason, Rivera seems completely uninterested in giving Grier any legitimate playing time. When he was asked, Rivera responded “who knows.”
Rivera remains firm that right now they are sticking Allen, but did say that "who knows" if Will Grier will get an opportunity at some point.
Moving on, Rivera also gave an update on tight end Greg Olsen, who took a vicious shot to the head from Washington linebacker Ryan Anderson. Olsen appeared to be knocked out immediately from the blow and made no effort to brace his fall. Anderson was ejected, while Olsen went into the concussion protocol and did not return to the game.
Rivera says Olsen is still in the protocol but didn’t give any more information than that. He did seem to hint that Olsen will be out this week, saying Ian Thomas has to be prepared to step up.
Rivera says that Ian Thomas will need to step up this week if Greg Olsen is indeed out. No update on his status except that he is in concussion protocol.
Thomas was a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft and like a number of other young players, he hasn’t seen much playing time this year.
For what it’s worth, Thomas looked sharp after Olsen left the game. He caught all four of his targets from Allen, totaling 24 receiving yards. Thomas showed potential last season but also a need to develop more. It will be interesting to see how much progress he’s made.
Just signed this week, Orchard was highly impactful on Sunday while helping the Redskins seal the victory over Carolina.
After linebacker Ryan Kerrigan ruled was out of this game early last week with a concussion, the Washington Redskins signed free agent Nate Orchard after he worked out with 10 NFL teams this season.
He just so happened to be one of the most important players for the Redskins, as they picked up their second-straight victory, 29-21, over the Carolina Panthers.
Orchard came in and played 43 snaps on defense, helping to boost a highly-depleted defense that was also missing Montez Sweat (injury) and Ryan Anderson (ejected) down the stretch. In relief, Orchard picked up four tackles, a sack, and the game-sealing fumble recovery.
Hell of a play by Nate Orchard, signed this week, to stop McCaffrey on this run. Orchard has had a big game #Redskinspic.twitter.com/ysUMAWmhYk
Nate Orchard with the sack. Collins blitzes to keep McCaffrey into protect, Orchard stunts inside to work on the LG before bursting through for a sack #Redskinspic.twitter.com/eUrtNhSntx
With three of their top defenders set to return in the near future, there may be less of a role for Orchard going forward, but he proved on Sunday that he is worthy of a roster spot in Washington.
Here’s our review of what happened around the NFC South this week.
The Saints clinched ridiculously early, the Falcons failed again and the Panthers fell behind the Buccaneers.
Here’s our review of what happened around the NFC South this week.
Saints (10-2) beat Falcons (3-9), 26-18
You know you’re dominating when you win the division when there’s still a month left to play in the regular season. New Orleans sewed up its third straight NFC South title on Thanksgiving despite a mediocre outing from Drew Brees (one touchdown, 88.7 passer rating). What won the day was a ferocious pass rush that sacked Matt Ryan nine times. They also contained Devonta Freeman, limiting him to just three yards per carry. While they look undeniably tough, this team was always supposed to win the division this year and their overall talent level is light years ahead of the other three. These Saints will be judged by how deep they go in the playoffs.
Buccaneers (5-7) beat Jaguars (4-8), 28-11
Sometimes winning just means making fewer mistakes than your opponents. The Bucs did that on Sunday courtesy of a disastrous outing from Nick Foles, who committed turnovers on three straight possessions and got benched in favor of the far superior Gardner Minshew. They didn’t do anything special offensively, but Tampa has to be giddy with the progress of first-round pick Devin White, who scored a touchdown on one of his two takeaways. This victory pushed them ahead of Carolina in the standings.
Panthers (5-7) lost to Redskins (3-9), 29-21
Ron Rivera is an outstanding individual and is deservedly well respected for the way he conducts himself as a coach. There’s more to the job than that, though and Rivera is failing his team on the field. After Bill Callahan fell behind 14-0, he made adjustments to get Washington back in the game. Rivera didn’t respond well, resulting in a slow motion catastrophe 29-0 run that sank the ship. It probably won’t happen until the season is over. This loss likely ended Rivera’s time in Charlotte, though.
Falcons (3-9) lost to Saints (10-2), 26-18
Injuries can’t be helped. That being said, Atlanta went all in to upgrade its offensive line this past offseason and it’s been a total failure. Dan Quinn’s seat is just as hot as Rivera’s – if not hotter – and Thomas Dimitroff’s questionable team-building since the outstanding 2016 draft class have put the Falcons in terrible position to compete in the long run. They won’t have the cap space to make the moves they need to turn that around, either.
The road to a Wild Card playoff berth won’t be an easy one for the Bears. But they got some help with losses by the Eagles and Panthers.
As the Chicago Bears cling to slim playoff hopes, all they can do is focus on doing their jobs — while hoping for a lot of help along the way.
The road to a Wild Card playoff berth won’t be an easy one. While the Bears essentially need to win out in their final four games, they also need some help from other teams.
Heading into Sunday, the Bears sat in eighth in the NFC — two spots out of that final Wild Card spot. They trailed the Los Angeles Rams, who were 6-5, and led the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, who were 5-6 heading into Week 13.
The Bears got some help from the Miami Dolphins, who upset the Eagles 37-31, as well as from the Washington Redskins, who upset the Carolina Panthers 29-21. Those losses dropped the Eagles and Panthers to 5-7 on the season and gave the Bears a little wiggle room as they vie for that playoff berth.
But it wasn’t all good news on Sunday, as the Rams pounded the Arizona Cardinals 34-7 to advance to 7-5 on the season. The good news is that the Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the coming weeks. If the Bears can win out — and the Rams lose two of their final four games — they might have a chance at a Wild Card berth.
Although that all depends on how the Minnesota Vikings fare in their final five games. The Vikings (8-3) will face the Seahawks (9-2) on Monday Night Football, and the Bears also need the Vikings to lose three of their final five games. Minnesota will also face the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Bears to close out the regular season.
No matter how we try to quantify this, the Panthers’ 29-21 loss was nothing short of shameful.
On Sunday afternoon the New York Jets, riding a three-game win streak, fell victim to the previously 0-11 Cincinnati Bengals. Not too long after, the Philadelphia Eagles, with a chance to move into a first-place tie atop the NFC East, were caught with their pants down against the 2-9 Miami Dolphins. Neither game was the most embarrassing defeat of Week 13, though.
That honor actually belongs to the Carolina Panthers, who spotted themselves a 14-0 lead at home and still lost to a two-win team with an interim head coach, a struggling rookie quarterback and fewer total touchdowns than Christian McCaffrey.
Here are some cold hard facts about the loss:
The Washington Redskins came into Bank of America Stadium ranked dead last in points per game (13.1). They scored 29.
Washington also came in ranked last in rushing touchdowns, having pieced together only two. They bested that 11-game sum with three on the day.
Again, they came in ranked last in another offensive category, total yards at 253.4. Today, they gained 248 on rushing alone.
No matter how we try to quantify this, the Panthers’ 29-21 loss was nothing short of shameful, particularly for a head coach and a quarterback both looking for some sort of job security in 2020.
We’ll start with the latter – Kyle Allen – who appeared to have carried over what was an impressive effort in New Orleans early on. Allen and the offense started out hot, taking their first eight plays for 75 yards into the end zone. The swift four-minute drive was capped off on a four-yard touchdown catch for Curtis Samuel, his fifth on the season.
Allen promptly followed that up with another touchdown throw, this time one that found the hands of DJ Moore for his fourth (and easiest) score of 2019. That possession took even less time for the Panthers to assert their dominance, finishing off the 55-yard drive in six plays and just over three minutes.
However, in a performance that eerily mirrored how Allen’s campaign has gone, they hit a steep decline after that. The unit ended up averaging 3.8 yards per play, totaled 65 rushing yards, allowed seven sacks and converted only five third downs in 16 tries.
As for Ron Rivera, this loss may be that proverbial final nail in the coffin.
Rivera is supposed to be a defensive guru, but time and time again this unit has come up short in the critical the stop-the-run and takeaway departments. That theme was no different in this contest, with the Panthers forcing zero turnovers and Washington’s backfield duo of Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson combining for 228 yards (9.9 per carry) and three scores.
Rivera, who had so often led his Panther teams to considerable success in the season’s final two months over his previous eight years at the helm, now heads a ship that has lost four straight and is completely sunk in the playoff race.
After the game, he told reporters he’s not worried about his future, though.
Every time an NFL team loses a game they should win, there tend to be premature calls for the head coach to get fired. This is one of those cases where it might actually be warranted.
The Panthers were 10-point favorites going into today’s game against the Redskins, who are are arguably the worst team in the NFC. Carolina also had home field advantage and got out to an early 14-0 lead. It was all downhill from there, though. Bill Callahan made the adjustments his team needed and Ron Rivera got left behind.
There will no doubt be calls for Rivera to go after this loss. After the game, he told reporters he’s not worried about his future, though.
RR: “No, I’m not worried about my future. I’m worried about this football team’s future and we have a game coming up on Sunday.”
If he’s talking about his future as Carolina’s head coach, then he’s wrong. This was the third time he’s been dominated in the coaching matchup this season and only one of them (Kyle Shanahan) came against a clear favorite.
Rivera will probably be able to get a job as a defensive coordinator somewhere, but there’s a very good chance this loss will be hung around his neck and cost him his current job.
The Redskins have now won two-straight victories, and this time they did it with their defense and a solid rushing attack.
That one got way too close for comfort.
The scoreboard will read 29-21, but this game was not as close as that would make it seem. Until the Carolina Panthers secured a late touchdown to make it a one-score game, followed by a successful onside kick and a nice attempt to tie the game, the Washington Redskins were blowing the doors off of them, doing whatever they wanted on offense, and stopping everything the Panthers threw at them on defense.
After a tough start to the game, they had an uphill road to travel, but rookie QB Dwayne Haskins and second-year RB running back Derrius Guice forged ahead and were able to put some point on the board. Of course, none of that would be possible without the Washington defense, who held the Panthers scoreless until garbage time after giving up touchdowns on the first two drives of the game. In the end, there will be another celebration in Washington. Here are our biggest takeaways from the game.
Dwayne Haskins is Growing In Front of Our Eyes
Dec 1, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) looks to pass as Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Thompson (54) defends in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Bit by bit, step by step, game by game. It’s unfair to measure a rookie quarterback on a limited body of work, but after four career starts, Dwayne Haskins has started to show some real improvement. His poise in the pocket is palpable, and his accuracy downfield is starting to be dialed in. After a wrist injury caused him to be routinely off the mark in last week’s victory over the Detroit Lions, the QB bounced back on Sunday and went 13-for-5 for 147 yards in his second career victory over the Carolina Panthers. There were no touchdowns, but no turnovers as well.
The progression hasn’t been perfect, and there have still been a number of missteps for Haskins over the past couple of games, but at long last, they are being overshadowed by the good things that he’s done. We don’t want to anoint him as the next great franchise quarterback in Washington, but fans can at least feel confident that they have something to work with under center.
Washington’s Defense was Extremely Impressive
Dec 1, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Washington Redskins cornerback Fabian Moreau (31) reacts after an interception in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The Redskins defense was hindered from the very beginning after it was announced earlier in the week that All-Pro linebacker Ryan Kerrigan would be held out with a concussion. Later in the game, they also saw Montez Sweat suffer an injury, and Ryan Anderson was disqualified for a helmet-to-helmet hit on TE Greg Olsen.
Regardless of all that, the Washington defense stepped up in a major way against the Panthers, and they managed to bottle up RB Christian McCaffrey, who is a walking highlight-reel at this point in his career.
After coming into this game as the No. 1 overall player in fantasy football, the Redskins held the back to just 102 total yards and 0 touchdowns in the game. They also were able to bottle up the entire Carolina offense after giving up scores on the first two drives of the game. Here is the Panthers’ drive chart for the game:
Touchdown
Touchdown
Punt
Punt
Punt
Interception
Punt
Punt
Punt
Punt
Touchdown
Fumble
After giving up 14 early points, the defense buckled down and stopped everything that the Panthers tried to do until garbage time. Even without their top-three linebackers — Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat, and Ryan Anderson — the defense flew around and looked like a dominant unit.
Derrius Guice is a Star in the Making
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins reacts after running for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Guice was well-hyped going into his rookie year, and he was well-hyped coming into his second season as well. Both times, unfortunate injuries kept him off the field, but now that we’ve been able to see him lay down a body of work in the NFL, we feel comfortable making the following statement:
Derrius Guice is a very good player, and he has a bright future.
Guice had by far the best game of his career on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, finishing with 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 carries. The Panthers have one of the lesser run-defenses in the NFL, but Washington was able to take advantage of that and get Guice out into space. He routinely made defenders miss on the outside, and he even proved his ability to turn his nose downhill get his shoulder pads cracked up the middle.
There is obviously still the looming veteran in Adrian Peterson that is available in the backfield, but over the past couple of weeks, Guice has proved that he is absolutely the lead back in Washington, and they should treat him as such.
Another Draft Opportunity is Missed
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Fabian Moreau #31 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with teammates after making an interception against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 01, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
What’s the cost of victory for the Washington Redskins? It may end up being a highly-valuable draft pick that falls down from near the top spot, and had the Redskins lost again on Sunday against the Panthers, they would have seen their pick rise in the order.
It was another crazy day at the bottom of the barrel in the NFL. The 0-11 Cincinnati Bengals got the first win of their season, and the 2-9 Miami Dolphins found a way to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Had the Redskins lost on Sunday, they would be in a good spot to regain the second overall pick behind the Bengals, but instead, they picked up their second straight victory.
In the end, you could argue that these two weeks of happiness are worth anything that a future draft pick could bring. Then again, you have to consider that Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen can point towards this stretch as a reason to avoid a managerial shakeup this offseason as well…
Here are five takeaways from a disturbing Week 13 loss.
The Panthers blew a 14-point lead at home today against the worst team in the NFC. After falling behind early, the Redskins dominated from the second quarter on and went on to win by a score of 29-21.
Here are five takeaways from a disturbing Week 13 loss.
Christian McCaffrey got lost in the shuffle
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
After a string of outstanding performances, McCaffrey was probably due for a quiet game. McCaffrey had a strong first drive to begin this one. After that, he got lost in the shuffle. Washington’s defensive front seven did a solid job of shutting him down. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner gave up too early on McCaffrey, though. No. 22 finished the afternoon with just 44 rushing yards on 14 carries and was held out of the end zone. He also dropped a couple of passes.
