Tag: Curtis Samuel

Panthers Highlights: Curtis Samuel scores fifth career rushing touchdown

Panthers Highlights: Curtis Samuel’s fifth career rushing touchdown.

Curtis Samuel’s role is evolving and growing each week in this Panthers offense. Lately, he’s being used as a rushing option in the red zone and it’s been working out.

Watch Samuel score his second rushing touchdown of the season and the fifth of his career to give his team the lead against the Falcons.

That was set up by a nice run from Mike Davis, who made a few Falcons miss and then pushed for extra yards.

Carolina leads 7-3 midway through the first quarter.

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WATCH: Panthers’ Curtis Samuel scores TD on handoff against Saints

Former Ohio State and current Carolina Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel scored his first touchdown of the season against the Saints.

We haven’t heard a ton from former Ohio State and current Carolina Panthers’ wide receiver Curtis Samuel, but he’s a talent that flashes from time to time when given the ball in space, or during special situations.

He had one such moment Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and was able to find the end zone for his first touchdown of 2020 season. It was one a little unconventional for Samuel as he took a handoff in the backfield and found a seam between the tackles for a 5-yard scramble to pay-dirt.

Watch below thanks to what the Ohio State Football Twitter account shared from the NFL on Sunday.

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Panthers can’t stop Saints in painful loss

Carolina Panthers can’t stop New Orleans Saints in painful 27-24 loss.

An NFL game wasn’t the only event taking place down in New Orleans this weekend. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome also played host to a warm reunion on Sunday.

When one made his leap up in the football world this offseason, all the success and all the good times were left behind. The wins, the togetherness, the fun—even in what was initially thought to be an odd relationship—were now just simply memories.

But, after nearly a year apart, they finally met again here in Week 7. That’s right, Matt Rhule and his smock!

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and his (in)famous smock finally reunited on the sideline for the first time since his days at Baylor University. Oh, and Teddy Bridgewater returned to the workplace of his previous employer as well.

Sadly for the Carolina Panthers, that smock still wasn’t enough to stop the slop that would ensue. And neither was Bridgewater, as the team dropped to 3-4 with a painful loss to the division rival Saints.

Their 27-24 defeat is by no means to be placed at Teddy’s feet. In fact, he was just as good as his former teammate and current adversary, Drew Brees, in a strong bounce-back outing from last week.

Bridgewater appeared right at home, completing 23 of his 28 passes for 254 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. As he’s often been, especially as he was in New Orleans, he was considerably efficient in orchestrating a methodical offense.

He kept Robby Anderson’s breakout campaign going (six receptions, 74 yards), put Curtis Samuel in multiple spots to come up clutch (three successful third-down conversions) and dug into his bag of tricks for a big-time deep ball to DJ Moore. Bridgewater connected with Moore on a beautiful 74-yard touchdown at the 10:56 mark of the second quarter to stop the bleeding of what was a 14-3 Saints lead.

That aforementioned slop, instead, came courtesy of the Carolina defense.

Save for a strip-sack by, you guessed it, pass rush specialist and human missile Brian Burns, the Panthers could not stop the New Orleans offense.

The Saints were powered by a total of 415 yards while converting on a ridiculous 12 of their 14 third-down tries. 12-of-14. Punter Thomas Morstead never even had to put his helmet on. The only achievement for the Panthers defense was that they were somehow able to hold the Saints to only 27 points.

Despite the unit having actually impressed to this point, as there were very little to no expectations considering their youth and inexperience, this particular performance stung a bit.

The Saints, even with top wideouts in Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders inactive, still had their way.

The contest ended in fitting fashion, as a valiant 65-yard field goal attempt by Joey Slye to tie the game at 27 fell just short with two minutes remaining. As they did all afternoon, they fell just short—largely void of big plays and big stops.

Overall, though, we can hit Rhule and his Panthers with another sincere “good job, good effort.”

Who would have thought the Panthers would have as many as three wins through seven games? Would would have thought these Panthers would be competitive in each of these seven games? Probably no one.

So as Carolina prepares to turn around back home for a short rest and a Thursday night date with the Atlanta Falcons ahead, they must start to clean it up a bit . . . or else Rhule and his smock may have to permanently reconcile if things continue to get any messier.

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Panthers Highlights: WR Curtis Samuel makes a diving catch on third down

Watch Samuel lay out and make a sensational diving catch on third and long after Teddy Bridgewater did a solid Russell Wilson-improvising impression.

The Panthers have to be thrilled to have wide receiver Curtis Samuel back in the lineup today. They were clearly missing Samuel last week against the Bears, especially on third down where he has thrived this season.

Watch Samuel lay out and make a sensational diving catch on third and long after Teddy Bridgewater did a solid Russell Wilson-improvising impression.

Naturally, the drive stalled out and the Panthers had to settle for a field goal. Joey Slye connected, cutting the Saints’ lead to 7-3.

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Panthers expect 3 of 4 ‘questionable’ designations to play vs. Saints

The Panthers listed four players as questionable on their injury report ahead of today’s game against the Saints.

The Panthers listed four players as questionable on their injury report ahead of today’s game against the Saints.

Good news: according to Ian Rapoport at NFL Network, three of them are expected to play: wide receiver Curtis Samuel and cornerbacks Eli Apple and Donte Jackson.

The odd man out is starting right guard John Miller. He missed practice on both Thursday and Friday and it seems like “doubtful” would be a more appropriate designation for him.

As for who might replace Miller in the lineup if he can’t play, it’s difficult to say. Carolina is down two interior backups with Tyler Larsen and Michael Schofield on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

One option is undrafted rookie Mike Horton, who was activated from the practice squad yesterday along with wide receiver Marken Michel. Second-year guard Dennis Daley is another potential replacement and our best guess as to who would start in Miller’s place.

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Panthers activate 2 from practice squad with COVID-19 designations

The Panthers have made a few moves in preparation for tomorrow’s matchup with the Saints.

The Panthers have made a few moves in preparation for tomorrow’s matchup with the Saints. Former Jets kicker Taylor Bertolet has been added to the practice squad to provide some extra depth behind Joey Slye, who is expected to play after being activated from the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday. In a pair of corresponding moves, the team activated two other players from the practice squad to the roster as COVID-19 replacements.

Rookie guard Mike Horton and former Eagles wide receiver Marken Michel are the two names that got called up. Neither will count against the active roster though, so the team can still promote two others for tomorrow’s game if they choose.

It’s not hard to see why Horton and Michel were the picks. Carolina is extremely thin at both positions.

The interior of the offensive line is missing backup center/guard Tyler Larsen and guard Michael Schofield, who are on the COVID-19 list. Starting right guard John Miller is also questionable to play with an ankle injury. Miller did not practice on Thursday or Friday, so it’s likely he won’t be in the lineup.

The wide receiver room is also a bit thin right now. Keith Kirkwood is back on the injured reserve list after reinjuring the broken clavicle that kept him out the first five games of the year. No. 3 receiver Curtis Samuel is dinged up, as well. He did not play last week against the Bears and has been limited at practice. Samuel is also questionable.

We probably won’t see either Horton or Michel on the field unless somebody else goes down, but the way things are going that’s a distinct possibility.

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Panthers Week 7 injury report: 4 players limited at first practice

Here’s your first look at the Week 7 injury report.

The Carolina Panthers had four players limited at their first practice of the week and no non-participants.

Here’s your first look at the Week 7 injury report.

Player Injury Wed Thu Fri Status
WR Curtis Samuel Knee Limited
DT Zach Kerr Toe Limited
CB Donte Jackson Toe Limited
G John Miller Ankle Limited
CB Eli Apple Hamstring Full
RB Mike Davis Ankle Full
RB Trenton Cannon Neck Full

While this doesn’t look too bad on the surface, it also doesn’t represent just how shorthanded the team is right now.

Christian McCaffrey, Yetur Gross-Matos and Juston Burris are all on the injured reserve list, Kawann Short and Keith Kirkwood are out for the season and four players are on the team’s growing reserve/COVID-19 list, including two offensive linemen and kicker Joey Slye. Carolina has brought in three free agent kickers to compete for his spot if Slye can’t play against the Saints.

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Carolina Panthers win third straight game, may actually be good

Could these 20220 Carolina Panthers be actually, uh, good? Well . . .

Could these 20220 Carolina Panthers be actually, uh, good? Well . . .

One telltale sign of a good team is that they take care of bad teams. And their Week 5 foes, the Atlanta Falcons are—indeed—a bad team.

The Panthers did not play around with their food this afternoon, grabbing the winless Falcons and refusing to let go in a 23-16 victory. Their surprising move to 3-2 on the season was all about being in control.

That was evident throughout with another calm and collected performance from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. He was the maestro of a finely-tuned orchestra once again, completing 27 of his 37 attempts for 313 yards, a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.

Bridgewater’s proficiency and grasp on the offense is growing stronger by the week, leading the group to not only considerable production, but a strong mentality. Their zero turnovers on Sunday look even sweeter alongside their 437 total yards and a 33:06 to 26:54 edge in the time of possession battle.

The most encouraging sign from this unit is playing to their wide receivers’ strengths. No one has benefited more than Robby Anderson.

Anderson (eight receptions, 112 yards) shined as a technician, using his quickness and precise footwork to consistently gain separation in opening up quite a number of easy throws for Bridgewater. Through five games, he’s up to 489 receiving yards, averaging 13.6 yards per catch.

While we did see signs of the fifth-year wideout’s potential wit hthe Jets, they were far too sparse. Here in Carolina, Anderson is pairing his talent with opportunity to look like the No. 1 wideout he should be.

D.J. Moore found himself an opportunity as well, one that put his elite yards-after-catch ability on display. His 57-yard catch-and-run gave the Panthers their first lead at 13-7 with 2:30 remaining in the second quarter.

For Moore, unlike in 2019, his game should be more about quality than quantity. He doesn’t need a high volume of targets to succeed or make an impact. He just needs an opening or two to turn the burners on, like he did today.

Even the organization’s red-headed stepchild, Curtis Samuel, got in on the action. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady made it a point to incorporate the multi-faceted weapon into the offense early and often, forcing seven total touches his way in the first half alone. While his final numbers don’t exactly jump off the box score (five catches for 36 yards and four carries for 28 yards), Samuel can be used as a versatile and dangerous piece moving forward.

Just as well, running back Mike Davis keeps making a case to stay involved. He finished the game with 89 yards on 16 rushes and a hefty nine catches for another 60 yards, including a three-yard touchdown on a simple lob from Bridgewater with 23 seconds before halftime. That gave Carolina a 20-7 advantage that would never be challenged.

And let’s give the defense some much earned props because, damn, they’ve deserved it. Run defense is still an issue, as they made 2020 Todd Gurley somehow look like 2017 Todd Gurley (121 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries).

However, the Panthers locked down quarterback Matt Ryan. He completed 21 of his 37 throws for just 226 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. The pick was timely, too, as safety Juston Burris prevented what could’ve been a game-tying touchdown to Russell Gage with 8:49 left in the game. Burris’ stop halted a 10-play, 71-yard drive.

Carolina has now effectively silenced two of the NFL’s most potent passing attacks. Adding in last week’s triumph over the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers defense limited Ryan and Kyler Murray to 359 passing yards combined in their last two outings.

With seemingly every obstacle a team can possibly face in their way on top of a global pandemic—Matt Rhule’s Panthers have easily been one of the league’s most impressive and surprising teams thus far.

Maybe we can chalk it up to the ol’ “Hey, it’s 2020! Everything is weird!”

Or maybe, just maybe, this team is . . . actually good.

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Panthers OC Joe Brady: WR Curtis Samuel playing at an ‘extremely high level’

Perhaps nobody exemplifies that more than Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

Sometimes numbers lie. Just as pre-election polls can be wrong about the way people plan to vote, stats can be misleading about how well a particular football player is performing. Perhaps nobody exemplifies that more than Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

Samuel has been involved in trade rumors and offers for a long time, now. So far, Carolina’s front office has rejected them and maintained their commitment to the 2017 second-round draft pick. Today, Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady continued a trend of publicly-positive statements about Samuel’s game. In his Zoom press conference, Brady said Samuel is playing at an extremely high level and making plays in the run game that go unnoticed.

This is correct.

While Samuel has dropped a couple passes, his early numbers don’t reflect his talent. Through four games, he’s caught 14 of 18 targets, totaling 147 yards and hasn’t scored a touchdown yet. The team has also been using Samuel as a rusher out of the backfield with poor results. He’s averaged just 3.2 yards per carry on 11 attempts. His blocking admittedly hasn’t been perfect, but Samuel has made some good ones on big runs by Mike Davis.

All that being said, Samuel still hasn’t been able to reach his full potential after three and a quarter seasons. Injuries, poor quarterback play, questionable playcalling and old fashioned bad luck have all played a role. Hopefully, the Panthers recognize that and figure out a way to really unlock Samuel’s ability. Giving him a contract extension is still their best option.

However, if they’re not confident they can get the most out of Samuel, they have to at least consider offers when the trade deadline comes up in a few weeks. Letting him sign somewhere else in 2021 and getting nothing in return would be another inexcusable failure by general manager Marty Hurney.

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2 keys to a Panthers win against the Cardinals Week 4

Here are two keys to another underdog win.

The Panthers are underdogs for today’s game against the Cardinals despite having the home-field advantage. This team overcame the odds last week, though when they upset the Chargers in their own stadium.

Here are two keys to another underdog win.

Offense: Feed Curtis Samuel in the red zone

With superstar running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve, Carolina needs to keep finding new ways to manufacture offense. Last week, wide receiver Curtis Samuel was a bit more involved than he had been, totaling 52 yards on eight touches. However, he’s still the most underused weapon on this roster and putting him in the backfield like a traditional running back isn’t the way to do it.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady needs to put Samuel to better use in the passing game, especially in the red zone where the Panthers rank third to last in touchdown percentage. Last year, Samuel scored against this Arizona defense. Brady should do everything in his power to make it happen again.

Defense: Pick a poison with Kyler Murray

This matchup marks the first time this season the Panthers defense will play against a mobile quarterback. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray is not only the fastest among them, he’s been the most efficient rusher in the NFL this season. His average of 7.2 yards per carry leads all players.

Containing Murray as a rushing threat can’t fall on any one individual. It’s especially tough to think of a defender who could spy him effectively. With no great pass rush to work with either, defensive coordinator Phil Snow has to find a strategy to neutralize or at least limit this part of his game. Murray also has more arm talent than any QB they’ve faced so far, so it’s important not to let him beat them both ways.

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