Tag: Carolina Panthers

Ron Rivera calls Terry McLaurin ‘an explosion waiting to happen’

The Panthers coach was very high on Terry McLaurin as he previewed this weekend’s game with the media.

It’s safe to say that the Carolina Panthers are going to be focused on trying to shut down rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin when they face off against the Washington Redskins this weekend.

After McLaurin proved how good he really is last week by going toe-to-toe with Lions’ corner Darius Slay, one of the best CBs in the NFL, the league is now taking notice, and attempting to scheme McLaurin out of the Redskins’ gameplan.

Unfortunately for Washington, the easiest way to nullify McLaurin is to rattle rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, which has proven to be fairly easy to do. Haskins completed less than half of his pass attempts last week, and his inability to complete a couple of long-balls to the rookie WR severely hindered Washington’s offensive production.

However, the Redskins now know that they have half of the puzzle figured out with McLaurin, and all they need to do is get Haskins comfortable enough to find him downfield. If they can put those two things together, then that combination can definitely be an explosion waiting to happen.

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Rashaan Gaulden waived by Panthers

Rashaan Gaulden waived by Panthers.

CHARLOTTE — Former University of Tennessee defensive back Rashaan Gaulden was put on waivers Monday by the Carolina Panthers after a rough outing in the teams 34-31 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Gaulden, a defensive back and third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, had played sparingly in 2019.

And he won’t soon forget his last game in a Carolina uniform.

He ran into teammate D.J. Moore on a kick return causing Moore to fumble and New Orleans recovered.

Gaulden, who played mostly on special teams in 2019, was also flagged for a personal foul after being in a scuffle with a Saints player.

In his brief career with the Panthers, Gaulden appeared in 24 games. He made 18 tackles, including just four this season.

Panthers vs. Redskins: Time, channel, stream for Week 13 matchup

The game will be broadcast live on CBS.

The Panthers had won three games in a row at home until they got blown out by the Falcons Week 11. On Sunday, they’ll defend their turf against a Washington team with a rookie quarterback and the worst record in the conference.

Here’s all the info you need to follow this week’s matchup.

Game information

Washington Redskins (2-9) vs. Carolina Panthers (5-6)

Sunday, Dec. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Television: CBS

The game will be broadcast live on CBS. Check back later for TV maps.

Broadcasters

Greg Gumble, Trent Green

Referee assignment

Scott Novak

Weather at kickoff

60 degrees
Humidity: 66%
Precipitation: 24%
Wind: 13mph

Stream

You can stream the game live on Fubo TV. (Start your free trial).

Listen

The team’s flagship radio station is WBT 1110 AM.

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Report: Panthers signing former Raiders, Redskins DT Stacy McGee

The Panthers are signing former Redskins and Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee, according to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN.

The Panthers are signing former Redskins and Raiders defensive tackle Stacy McGee, according to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN.

The team needed more interior defensive line depth with Dontari Poe suffering a quad injury in Sunday’s loss to the Saints. Josina Anderson has reported Poe had surgery scheduled for this morning, which would end his 2019 season.

McGee (6-foot-3, 339 pounds) played his college football at Oklahoma then got picked by Oakland in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. After four years with the Raiders, he moved on to Washington, where he played the last two seasons.

In 75 career games (29 starts), McGee has totaled four sacks, 14 quarterback hits and six tackles for a loss.

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Panthers work out four kickers after Joey Slye’s rough day vs. Saints

Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye had a bad day against the New Orleans Saints, causing Carolina to try out free agents like Kai Forbath.

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The New Orleans Saints defeated the Carolina Panthers after some spotty kicking from Panthers specialist Joey Slye last Sunday, and the team is taking steps to find a better answer at the position, according to a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Slye missed two extra point tries and a 28-yard field goal against the Saints in a game Carolina lost 34-31, dropping them to 5-6 on the season.

Ironically, Carolina’s free agent tryouts included former Saints kicker Kai Forbath, who appeared in 10 games for New Orleans back in 2015. Forbath went 9-for-13 on field goal tries and 33-for-34 on extra point attempts that season before stints with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Other kickers who worked out for Carolina per Wilson’s report were Elliott Fry (66-of-88 on field goals in 51 games at South Carolina, but no extensive NFL experience), Greg Joseph (17-of-20 in 14 games with the Cleveland Browns last year), and Nick Rose (11-of-14 in 10 games for two teams from 2017 to 2018).

The Panthers haven’t made any moves yet beyond adding Joseph to their practice squad, but the Saints will see whoever gets the starting nod next when they fly out to Charlotte in the regular season finale on Dec. 29.

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NFL playoff picture: Saints can clinch NFC South, postseason berth

The New Orleans Saints can claim their place in the NFL playoff picture with a win over the Atlanta Falcons, which would win the NFC South.

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There’s going to be a lot on the line when the New Orleans Saints visit the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. With a win, the Saints can clinch their third straight NFC South crown; with a loss, it will take some help for them to exit Week 13 with a division title, but it’s still possible.

Beyond bragging rights, winning the NFC South gives the Saints a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. They’re the only team that can earn its place in the postseason tournament with a win this week, though the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots can each punch their ticket if a few other things go their way.

Here are the possible playoff scenarios the NFL confirmed Tuesday:

How the Saints can clinch the NFC South

Simply beating the Falcons on Thanksgiving night will be enough for New Orleans. But if they come up short, a loss or tie by the Carolina Panthers (who play the Washington Redskins on Sunday) would allow the Saints to back into a division win.

How the 49ers can clinch a playoff berth

Things are more complicated for San Francisco. They’re one of the two hottest teams in the NFL right now, and they have to compete with the other candidate (the Baltimore Ravens) on the road on Sunday. If the 49ers beat or tie with Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram, and the Ravens they’ll have to check into the Los Angeles Rams’ road game with the Arizona Cardinals. If San Francisco wins or ties, it’ll take a Rams tie or loss to get them into the playoffs this week.

How the Patriots can clinch the playoff berth

Meanwhile in the AFC, New England has to bag a road win against this week’s opponent: Deshaun Watson and the cornered Houston Texans. If they can do that, all eyes turn to the Pittsburgh Steelers (who are hosting the Cleveland Browns), Oakland Raiders (visiting the Kansas City Chiefs), and Indianapolis Colts (versus the Tennessee Titans). If either of those two first two teams lose and the Patriots win, New England clinches a playoff berth.

However, if the Patriots tie with the Texans, it’ll take one of several different combinations to punch their ticket. It’s complicated, so we’ve broken each scenario down below:

  • Raiders loss and Steelers loss
  • Raiders loss and Colts loss
  • Steelers loss and Colts loss

So those are somewhat long odds. As long as the Saints can handle their business against Atlanta on Thursday, they and their fans can spend the long holiday weekend kicked back and relaxed, watching lesser teams fight and scrap their way into the postseason.

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Panthers Highlights: The best of Christian McCaffrey vs. Saints Week 12

Panthers Highlights: The best of Christian McCaffrey vs. Saints Week 12

The Panthers got another sensational performance from Christian McCaffrey on Sunday. McCaffrey’s play this season has made him the unquestionable best running back in the NFL. Watch the best of No. 22 from this week’s matchup with the Saints.

For the year, McCaffrey has totaled 1,123 yards and 12 touchdowns on 221 carries. He leads the league averaging 102.1 rushing yards per game. As a receiver, he’s posted another 586 yards and four more scores.

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NFL power rankings, Week 13: Saints tumble after too-close win vs. Panthers

The New Orleans Saints still can’t win convincingly enough for a top spot in NFL power rankings, trailing teams like the Seattle Seahawks.

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Week 12 was a little more dramatic than it should have been for the New Orleans Saints, in which a series of penalties and mistakes allowed the Carolina Panthers to rally back from a late-game 13-point deficit. While the Saints did win the day on a last-second Wil Lutz field goal, that sloppy execution cost them in the latest NFL power rankings from Doug Farrar over at Touchdown Wire.

Requiring the opposing team’s kicker to miss a chip-shot field goal and two extra point tries to escape with a win, especially against a team that scored just three points a week earlier. It caused the Saints to tumble from third-place to fifth-best:

The Saints kept up with the Seahawks and just behind the 49ers in an NFC race that seems increasingly low on oxygen at the top. It took more than one might expect for New Orleans to beat the Panthers, 37-34, in a last-second thriller. Carolina overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter with a 4-yard Christian McCaffrey run and a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Allen to D.J. Moore (who also caught passes of 51 and 52 yards) to tie the game, but the Panthers’ inability to push it in from the Saints’ 3-yard line on their final drive, and Joey Slye’s missed field goal with 2:00 left in the game, set things up for New Orleans’ definitive drive. That Drew Brees’ team had the better kicker in Will Lutz was the deciding factor in a game that was messier than Sean Payton wanted it to be. Payton’s team finished with 12 penalties for 123 yards, including a highly ironic pass-interference call, and a pass defense that was vulnerable without cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) allowed Allen to look like a franchise quarterback. The Saints have little time to recover from this one, as they play in Atlanta on Thanksgiving.

The teams ahead of the Saints include the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Ravens. While the Saints have stacked plenty of wins this season, they have some clear areas of instability they need to iron out before the playoffs, and time is starting to run out with just five games left in the regular season. New Orleans has proven it can beat any opponent on any field in the league, but it would be great if they can win a little more convincingly down the stretch.

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NFC playoff picture: Bubble teams like the Rams are running out of time

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture after Week 12.

There’s still five weeks left to play in the NFL’s 2019 regular season. We already have a good idea who’s going to be in the postseason, though.

Here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture after Week 12.

Playoff teams

1. San Francisco 49ers (10-1)
2. New Orleans Saints (9-2)
3. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
5. Seattle Seahawks (9-2)
6. Minnesota Vikings (8-3)

Still in the race

7. Los Angeles Rams (6-5)
8. Chicago Bears (5-6)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)
10. Carolina Panthers (5-6)

The gap between the teams that are currently in line for a playoff spot and those that are trying to work their way in is significant. LA’s mortifying loss to the Ravens on Monday night might have made it impossible for them to catch up with Seattle and Minnesota for a wild card spot.

If there’s going to be any change, Dallas could end up losing the NFC East race to the Eagles, which would give Philly the No. 4 seed. Other than that, it’s hard to see any of the other five playoff teams dropping out at this point. The Seahawks have been winning a lot of close games and are due for some regression. It hasn’t happened yet, though. Meanwhile, the Vikings have a pretty cushy schedule to close out the year.

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Panthers open 9.5-point favorites vs. Redskins for Week 13 matchup

According to BetMGM, the Panthers are 9.5-point favorites this time around as they prepare to host the Redskins this week.

The Carolina Panthers couldn’t finish their epic comeback against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. However, nobody expected them to even compete considering they were 9.5-point underdogs going into the game. When you’re reeling from an emotional loss, a bit of home-cooking against a bad team can be just what the doctor ordered.

According to BetMGM, the Panthers are 9.5-point favorites this time around as they prepare to host the Redskins this week.

Washington remains a dysfunctional mess under the leadership of Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen, who alienated their best player in left tackle Trent Williams in the worst kind of way and then failed to deal him at the trade deadline. Williams won’t be suiting up for the Redskins again and it’s hard to blame him given the circumstances. This disaster is typical of a franchise that’s been floundering ever since RGIII’s knee injury in the 2012 playoffs.

As pathetic as they look, every NFL team is a threat if they’re not taken seriously. They are also coming off their second win of the season on Sunday against a Matthew Stafford-less Lions team.

There’s not a ton of history between these teams. They’ve met 14 times, with Washington taking eight, including the last one in October 2018. That team had Alex Smith at quarterback, though. Dwayne Haskins has time to prove he’s one of the top QBs in his class, but he’s gotten off to a rough start – throwing three times as many interceptions (six) as touchdowns (two).

Anything but a dominant win for Carolina this week should be considered a disappointment.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

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