Panthers PFF grades: Best and worst from Week 5 vs. Eagles
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.
Best of the offense
AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman
1. TE Ian Thomas (71.4)
2. RB Chuba Hubbard (70.3)
3. WR Alex Erickson (68.2)
4. WR DJ Moore (62.9)
5. LT Taylor Moton (62.4)
Thomas wasn’t the tight end that reached the end zone, but he was the one who earned top honors for the offense. His four catches for 40 yards helped get him a 79.4 mark in the passing game.
Hubbard didn’t hit pay dirt either, but he found plenty of effective work throughout the contest. The 2021 fourth-rounder rushed for 101 yards, the first Carolina rookie to do so since Jonathan Stewart in 2008, while adding in another 33 yards through five catches.
And, yes, Moton fared relatively well in his spot start on the blindside. He allowed two hits on 43 pass-blocking snaps.
Worst of the offense
AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman
5. RT Brady Christensen (47.9)
4. RG John Miller (44.0)
3. QB Sam Darnold (43.1)
2. LG Dennis Daley (42.6)
1. TE Colin Thompson (30.0)
We didn’t need these grades to tell us that Darnold wasn’t very good on Sunday. His three very ill-advised picks, along with his season-low 177 yards and 56.8 completion percentage, sent him to this pack.
Also helping him get here was the majority of his offensive line. Daley, Miller and Christensen, who got his first NFL start, allowed a combined 16 pressures of their quarterback.
Best of the defense
AP Photo/Nell Redmond
1. DT Daviyon Nixon (90.4)
2. DT Derrick Brown (74.9)
3. LB Jermaine Carter Jr. (70.5)
4. CB Keith Taylor (69.8)
5. CB A.J. Bouye (69.2)
No Haason Reddick? Um, ok . . .
Anyway, Brown made his presence felt in the middle of the Carolina line, recording three tackles (one for a stop) and a pass deflection. Carter Jr. also recorded three tackles and one stop of his own.
Bouye, additionally, got a little warmer in his second outing as a Panther. He played 46 of his 62 snaps out of the slot, allowing six catches for only 25 combined yards.
Worst of the defense
AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman
5. DT DaQuan Jones (50.4)
4. LB Haason Reddick (48.7)
3. DE Brian Burns (47.6)
2. DE Morgan Fox (40.3)
1. FS Sam Franklin (38.2)
Oh, there’s Reddick.
Apparently, his team-leading eight tackles and game-high 2.0 sacks didn’t make up for the film. His quarterback-chasing mate in Burns didn’t grade out well either, producing three hits in 35 pass-rushing tries.
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