CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It is time to grade the Carolina Panthers performance against the LA Rams. Look, I am not going to sugar coat this. For those of you with a brittle spirit, you may want to click away. To the rest of you that appreciate a good honest look, continue on.
Offense
Hey there Christian McCaffrey. How are you? Man, you are awesome. You played one of the best games I have ever witnessed by a Carolina Panthers running back. Go get yourself one of those flavored seltzer waters and some vanilla wafers.
He gone? Good. What on earth were the rest of you doing out there? DJ Moore, is this officially a thing now? Can we count on you for costly fumbles? Get it cleaned up young man. No seltzer or wafers for you.
And Cam, you say you were just rusty and need to get on the same page as the offense. What page have you been on for the last two months? I know you can do better. I don’t mind the missed long throws so much, but the layups man. It’s the layups you missed. Throws that any average NFL QB could make with their eyes closed sailed out of reach of their targets. I still love you and you can have a seltzer but it has to be one of those lime ones that taste god awful. No grapefruit for you.
Offensive Grade (not including CMC) – D
Defense
The Carolina Panthers stuck with their old 4-3 and nickel scheme for most of the game and even then for the most part looked much improved over last season. It wasn’t until late in the 93 degree game that the defense finally gave in after receiving little help from the Panthers offense for the entire first half.
The biggest story no one is talking about today is how well Shaq Thompson played. Thompson led the team in tackles along with Tre Boston. I was worried coming into the game that the loss of Thomas Davis would have a negative impact on the defense, but it did not appear to thanks to Shaq.
We should see the official unveiling of the 3-4 defensive look against Tampa Bay this Thursday.
Defensive Grade – B-
Special Teams
Another bright spot in the loss to the LA Rams is returner Ray Ray McCloud. Marty Hurney seems to have made another solid move in free agency as McCloud looks like one of the better returners for the Panthers in recent history.
Slye made two out of his three field goals. Not great, but I am willing to give him a mulligan on his first NFL kick.
Jermaine Carter blocked a punt. Extra wafers for him.
Special Teams Grade – B
Coaching
Once again the Carolina Panthers as a whole seemed less than prepared. Mental errors, faulty equipment, wasted timeouts. These things for the most part have plagued the Carolina Panthers for many, many seasons. It doesn’t appear they are getting fixed anytime soon.
Coaching Grade – D
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