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The Panthers’ sixth different configuration of their offensive line in 2021 stayed on the field all day and did not allow a single sack.
After an ugly four-game losing streak pulled them down into the cellar of the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers were in desperate need of a clean outing in Week 8. Fortunately, that’s precisely what they got.
That clean outing, which resulted in a 19-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, was guided by a strong gameplan and, of course, a few interesting showings in the team’s final snap counts of the afternoon.
There will be quite a few LSU Tigers in the building when the Panthers host the Vikings. That contingent includes CB Donte Jackson and WR Justin Jefferson, who should see plenty of one another in Week 6.
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The Carolina Panthers may be facing a turning point already here in Week 6.
With so many less-than-optimal signs suddenly popping up—a regressed performance from their quarterback, a still-on-the-mend superstar, and an offensive line still searching for answers—a third straight loss on Sunday would send the once 3-0 hopefuls to .500.
For that not to happen, the Panthers must come out on the better side of these four key matchups with the Minnesota Vikings.
Chuba Hubbard became the first Panthers rookie RB to rush for 100 yards since Jonathan Stewart in 2008. That didn’t go unrecognized by PFF this week.
The Carolina Panthers essentially had themselves a take-home test about three quarters of the way through their Week 5 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. All they had to do was fill in those answers.
Disturbingly, they didn’t. Carolina slacked off, didn’t complete the task and failed their second straight test against an NFC East opponent.
Now let’s see who passed and failed in this disappointing 21-18 loss according to Pro Football Focus.
The Panthers’ hair-pulling Week 5 loss to the Eagles gave us a few painful lessons moving forward.
In an alternate universe, we’d be preparing to map out four takeaways from an easy Week 5 win for the Carolina Panthers. Heck, even a slightly altered, pretty normal universe would’ve given us that.
But, apparently, we’re not living in either one of those.
So here are four takeaways from a pitiful defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Panthers will mix it up on their offensive line in Week 5, going with Taylor Moton as their LT and Brady Christensen as their RT.
With starting left tackle Cameron Erving out due to a neck injury, the Carolina Panthers have to get a little resourceful today against the Philadelphia Eagles. And apparently, they’re going right to their most valuable resource on the offensive line.
As reported by Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, Taylor Moton will get the start on the blindside for Carolina in Week 5. Moton, the reliable pillar on the opposite side, has started as the right tackle in each of the team’s games dating back to the 2018 season.
The fifth-year lineman has, however, gotten some reps on the left throughout the summer. He’s also taken 102 career snaps at the position.
Christensen, who was the presumed favorite to land these honors today, will actually make his first start as a pro in Moton’s spot. The 2021 third-rounder racked up snaps from both sides during preseason play, with 70 coming on the right and 20 from the left.
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Exhale, Panthers fans. RT Taylor Moton, and the six other players listed on this week’s injury report, will all be good to go against the Saints.
Some concern about the Carolina Panthers’ chances against the New Orleans Saints arose when starting right tackle Taylor Moton suddenly popped up on Thursday’s injury report. Well, we can probably put those worries to bed.
The Panthers returned an almost perfect final injury report on Friday, just two days ahead of their first divisional matchup of 2021. Although seven players remained listed, none were saddled with any type of game status designation. That suggests they’re all good to go.
| Injury | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Game Status | |
| DT DaQuan Jones | Groin | Limited | Limited | Limited | – |
| OT Taylor Moton | Groin | – | Limited | Limited | – |
| S Juston Burris | Neck | Full | Full | Full | – |
| S Sean Chandler | Hamstring | Full | Full | Full | – |
| G Pat Elflein | Hip | Limited | Full | Full | – |
| G John Miller | Illness | Limited | Full | Full | – |
| WR Shi Smith | Shoulder | Full | Full | Full | – |
Losing Moton, or even having him the least bit compromised, would’ve spelled even more trouble for Carolina, who’s already a clear underdog to New Orleans on Sunday. Being without your best offensive linemen on what’s still one of the worst units in the league, of course, is not ideal.
But, fortunately for the Panthers, that seems like it won’t be the case as they shoot for the upset at home.
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The Panthers added RT Taylor Moton to the injury report on Thursday. In other news, Saints DE Cameron Jordan salivates.
Any week would be a bad week for the Carolina Panthers to be without starting right tackle Taylor Moton. But this week, in particular, is not one of the more ideal ones in that regard.
Moton was added to the injury report ahead of the Panthers’ Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. A groin injury kept the team’s top offensive lineman as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.
| Injury | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | |
| DT DaQuan Jones | Groin | Limited | Limited | |
| OT Taylor Moton | Groin | – | Limited | |
| S Juston Burris | Neck | Full | Full | |
| S Sean Chandler | Hamstring | Full | Full | |
| G Pat Elflein | Hip | Limited | Full | |
| G John Miller | Illness | Limited | Full | |
| WR Shi Smith | Shoulder | Full | Full |
Carolina will be welcoming in New Orleans for their first divisional clash of the 2021 season. And if that wasn’t big enough, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan could be in for one heck of a day if Moton’s presence is compromised in any way.
Save for veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, players who were limited on Wednesday (guards Pat Elflein and John Miller) made the jump to full participation on Thursday.
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The Panthers will have six new team captains for the 2021 season.
The Carolina Panthers officially named their team captains for the 2021 season on Thursday afternoon. And with a roster mainly compromised of new, young, budding talent comes a fresh batch of leaders.
Of the eight players who will don the patch, six will be first-time captains for the Panthers. Those men include quarterback Sam Darnold, center Matt Paradis, right tackle Taylor Moton, defensive end Brian Burns, cornerback Donte Jackson and long snapper J.J. Jansen.
Jansen’s inclusion is, perhaps, the most feel-good one of the bunch considering his standing within the organization. The 35-year-old, who is the oldest and longest-tenured player on the team, has finally earned the distinction upon entering his 13th year with the franchise.
For Darnold and Paradis, this won’t be their first rodeo with the patch in the NFL, as they’ve served as captains at their previous stops in New York and Denver. For Moton, Burns and Jackson, this signifies a vote of confidence as they’ll be looked upon as the long-term leaders moving forward.
Running back Christian McCaffrey and linebacker Shaq Thompson round out the eight. It’ll be their third and second seasons, respectively, as Carolina captains.
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How should Panthers fans feel about QB Sam Darnold? @GaryHPhillips of @TheJetsWire helps us out on that and more as we head into the 2021 season opener.
The 2021 regular season is here and the Carolina Panthers will be kicking off the campaign against the visiting New York Jets this Sunday. And even though these are two different teams in two different conferences from two different regions, they may have a bit more in common than you think.
To get an inside look at that and what could be in store for the Panthers in Week 1 and beyond, we spoke with Gary Phillips, managing editor of our friends over at Jets Wire.
What, if anything, did you see from QB Sam Darnold in New York that could give Panthers fans hope for a career turnaround?
Not much, honestly. The Jets set Darnold up to fail with the personnel they surrounded him with, but he did little to help himself during his three years in New York. There were flashes of brilliance here and there, but he was still making rookie mistakes last season. If anything, Darnold will be better because of those around him; he has actual weapons and some competent offensive coaches for a change.
Conversely, what have you seen so far from the Jets’ current QB Zach Wilson that should give their fans hope about his future?
The Jets do this song and dance every few years, so I’m hesitant to say fans should feel one way or another before a 22-year-old plays his first real NFL game. That said, Wilson looked sharp in the preseason, showing a grasp of Mike LaFleur’s offense, a connection with Corey Davis and some serious arm talent. Those were encouraging signs.
The Jets’ secondary is probably the team’s most glaring weakness, one Darnold and the Panthers will obviously look to exploit. How dire is that situation heading into the opener?
The Jets’ corners really put the green in “Gang Green.” This is an incredibly young and inexperienced group, and there are going to be serious growing pains. Robert Saleh seems content with this being a developmental year for that position, which features a handful of rookies. Some, like Brandin Echols, looked sharp this summer, but we’ll see how that translates to games that matter.
The Panthers recently extended a pair of key veterans in OT Taylor Moton and WR Robby Anderson. Are there any veterans worthy of new deals with the Jets?
There are hardly any veterans on the team. Of the few that are there, most were brought in this offseason. Marcus Maye didn’t get his extension done before the franchise tag deadline; he and the Jets could go through that process again after the season. It’s hard to see New York giving him a long-term deal at this point, though.
Panthers DE Brian Burns is poised to have a breakout year, perhaps making a leap towards stardom in 2021. Which Jets player, if any, do you see potentially making a similar type of jump this season?
Rookie WR Elijah Moore is going to make a huge impact early on. He may need a few games to get situated after missing the entire preseason with an injury, but fans are going to be wondering how he fell to the second round by season’s end.
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The Panthers are locked in with the likes of Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, Christian McCaffrey, Taylor Moton and Terrace Marshall Jr. If Sam Darnold doesn’t work out at QB, there will be others.
In a perfect world, the Carolina Panthers are able to successfully salvage what the New York Jets left behind in Sam Darnold. But this world isn’t perfect and neither is this situation at quarterback.
On Tuesday, the Panthers announced a two-year contract extension with receiver Robby Anderson. The fifth-year wideout earned that money by being absolutely money for the team thus far, coming off a career season of 1,096 yards on 95 catches in 2020.
Although he’s largely thought of as a premier deep-ball threat, Anderson is much more than that. (He’s also, for you ham-and-eggers, much more than the guy who thought a giant cat was a bear . . . )
Many may overlook his prowess as a route runner, for one, given the assumption that he lives primarily off the go. He’s often exhibited sharp footwork and direction on his runs, which made him a particularly effective intermediate last season for Carolina. Anderson picked up 512 yards after the catch this past campaign, good enough for the fourth-highest total in the NFL.
His hands have gradually improved as well. Not only do the visuals prove that he plays with much stronger mitts, but so do the numbers. 2020’s catch rate of 69.9 percent, aided a bit by the dink-and-dunk layups from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, was by far his highest yet. The next closest mark was 55.3 percent back in 2017.
Overall, he’s closer to an entire package of a pass catcher than he is to being a Ted Ginn Jr. He’s a constant home run threat who can beat you downfield and underneath, whether that be on straight runs to bust the top open or a lengthy catch-and-run off a slippery slant route.
And that’s where this all ties into that Darnold lede you just read at the top. All of Anderson, as well as the cast next to him in running back Christian McCaffrey, fellow wideouts DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr. and tackle Taylor Moton, makes Carolina that much more of an appealing option for whoever is under center in 2022.
We’ll be fair to Sam, though. Yes, perhaps his fit in New York wasn’t healthy for either of the parties involved. Management had been disconnected, the top of the coaching tree was rotted early on and the personnel around the 2018 third overall pick was never worthy of the investment the Jets made in him.
But, to also be fair to facts and reality, Darnold hasn’t proved a damn thing yet. The promising prospect we saw at the University of Southern California has yet to make the trip out of Cali, as the poised, strong-armed, athletic slinger we saw in that Trojan uniform has become a distant memory.
Hopefully, for him and the Panthers, head coach Matt Rhule, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan get the most out of him. The thing is, what if Darnold’s most isn’t enough? What if he is what he is and doesn’t work out for the organization moving forward?
Well, that’ll give way to the next experiment, whomever that may be. Can they lure in a big-name veteran quarterback, say an Aaron Rodgers if the relationship in Green Bay keeps souring? Or maybe they can make a 2022 rookie feel comfortable right off the bat with the talented crop of weapons.
Either way, whichever path that Darnold and 2021 may take the Panthers down, they’re now set up. With Anderson, Moore, Marshall, McCaffrey and Moton all locked in for at least the next two years, Carolina could be a hot spot for the next best quarterback out.
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