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.
[lawrence-related id=629757]
[vertical-gallery id=629734]
