Week 3 Recap:

There is no dancing around the elephant in the room on this one folks.  Thursday night against the Houston Texans we saw Christian McCaffrey sidelined with a hamstring injury.  It was a non-contact incident when the injury occurred, what looked to be a simple stretch run play to the outside; McCaffrey hops, and that was the last we saw of him.  It should be noted that McCaffrey left the game walking unassisted; a very good sign.  I can understand that many Panthers fans may want to go in a downward spiral with the outlook of the remaining 2021 schedule.  It is unsure how long the Panthers will be without the star running back.  Head coach Matt Rhule could be heard using terms like weeks in reference to any kind of timetable for the injury.  By no means is it uncommon for a player to miss two or three weeks with a hamstring issue but there is still a silver lining to this perceived agony.  Let’s examine a timetable like that for one moment, three weeks would fall just shy of the October 17 game against the Minnesota Vikings, meaning that CMC would have only missed two games, and of course, all of this is just speculation.  We saw a second starter go down with an injury Thursday in Houston with a much bleaker outlook than the aforementioned  McCaffrey.  Rising standout rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn went down in the second half, another non-contact situation, and had to be carted off the field.  After the game, it was revealed that Horn broke three bones in his right foot.  It was announced during the week that the rookie will have surgery to repair the broken bones.

Beyond those glaring negatives, it was a smooth night for the Carolina Panthers who improved to 3-0 on the season.  The defense delivered another impressive performance under the prime time lights.  For a second straight week, the Carolina defense allowed an almost mind-boggling less than 200 yards for the entire game.  The Texans converted a miserable 1 out of 9 third down attempts.  The grit of rookie Davis Mills was admirable though he was almost painfully overmatched against Phil Snow and this monster of a defense.  The 3rd round rookie was sacked 4 times on the evening.  Star edge rushers Haason Reddick and Brian Burns each notched another sack in their season total.  It is the third game in a row that the pair has achieved this feat.  The edge rushers are not alone in their relentless pursuit of the quarterback as multiple Panthers tallied QB Pressures in the game.  In back-to-back games the Panthers’ defense has constricted opponents scoring to single digits.  Shaq Thompson led the way in tackles for the game, a reoccurring sight for the veteran leader.  There was a “not injury” related sight that leaves cause for concern.  Brandin Cooks was able to get open for nine receptions for 112 yards.  This could be an instance of a savvy veteran finding the soft spots in a defense, but it will be something to watch with Horn’s lengthy absence ahead.  The versatility of the defense could be the key to making the best of their time without Horn.

The early exit of McCaffrey may have slowed the offense momentarily, but it soon found traction between first year teammates DJ Moore and Sam Darnold.  Moore racked up 126 receiving yards, making it the ninth game in which he crossed the century mark.  Darnold hooked up with Moore on 8 of the 12 targets.  Every game this season Darnold has looked Moore’s way with at least eight targets.  So far this season Moore is reigning in just over 70% of his new teammate’s passes.  If I were to tell you that through 3 games to start the season Sam Darnold would be completing 68% of his passes, and would have three touchdowns to only one interception you would think I was crazy.  This is not some fantasy cooked up from behind a keyboard; this is the reality we live in.  There could be truth to the narrative that Darnold was a player that could excel once he escaped the toxic coaching of Adam Gase.  In the coming weeks, we will find out exactly what kind of player Sam Darnold is.  Do I expect him to go out and win games by himself, no, but without a player like CMC on the field the pressure will be on.  Chuba Hubbard will likely carry a fair share of that pressure as the rookie will be forced into action more and can be penciled in as the starter against the Cowboys in week 4.  

Another W, 1-0 Baby… That’s Right

It was no secret that Matt Rhule and the coaching staff would have their hands full with one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.  The Panthers under Ron Rivera were regarded as having a culture, this showed in the locker room greatly, in the first two seasons under Matt Rhule and staff it appeared that the culture that fans had come to know was fading, and in 2021 I give you Joe Brady.  What began as a somewhat modest and simple tweet, “1-0”, that’s it, has taken hold in the locker room and grown into something greater.  In week 2 after the shocking and downright beat down of the Saints coach Brady took to Twitter again, “1-0”, and again not testing the character limits of the platform.  The rather minuscule social media presence of the Panthers Offensive Coordinator left many with a perplexed feeling, and unsure what the tweet actually meant.  With another win picked up in the city of Houston the public was given confirmation of what some already thought.  The Panthers were 3-0 for the first time in six seasons, and all coach Brady could tweet was a humble, “1-0”.  We’ve all heard the clichés that coaches use when dealing with the press, and some do carry truth to them.  One of the most known clichés has to be, “one week at a time”.  That being said, the mildly cryptic social media post by the Panthers coach makes more sense.  There has been a lot said among the media about what this team can and can’t do.  Keeping players focused with their heads in the playbooks and out of the media is a challenge for every coach.  For a coaching staff with an extremely young roster that challenge can be even greater, and what better way to counter that?  It doesn’t matter what happened last week, it doesn’t matter what’s going on next month, all this team can do is try to go 1-0 that week, and beyond that everything else is just noise.  Winning has always been the great cure; winning can also be a curse.  With a youthful team like the one the Panthers have, winning can breed arrogance, this team cannot afford for egos to exist.  On Monday morning the Panthers found themselves sitting with sole possession of 1st place in the NFC South.   If they are going to prolong this newfound success without players like McCaffrey and Horn it will take this team playing together.  That means all of the 53-man roster must be dialed in and focused on one thing and that is going 1-0.

Jaycee Meet CJ

Early Tuesday morning was filled with reports that the Carolina Panthers had completed a trade agreement that would send Dan Arnold and a 3rd round to Jacksonville for their 2020 1st round pick CJ Henderson and 5th round pick in return.  The former Jaguars cornerback’s name had come up in trade rumors during training camps, and merely three weeks into the season Henderson had found himself with a new team.  The trade alleviates whatever locker room distractions that may have existed and offers a fresh start for the second year player.  This deal also will address a glaring hole at the tight end position for Jacksonville.  The breaking of this trade almost went hand in hand with the announcement that Jaycee Horn would be having surgery to repair the broken bones in his foot.  Henderson only appeared in eight games during the 2020 COVID-19 season in which he averaged over 4 tackles in those games.  Henderson also recorded one interception and six pass deflections during that stretch.  The loss of Arnold at TE for Panthers fans may rub some folks the wrong way and understandably so.  The recently acquired Arnold looked to be an upgrade to the talent that was already in Carolina.  It was reported Carolina made attempts to make the same deal with Ian Thomas in place of Arnold, but this was a deal breaker for Jacksonville.  The Panthers do acquire the 5th year rights to CJ Henderson’s rookie contract which could prove crucial down the line.  This move also shines a light on what the Panthers DB group could look like for next year.  Currently, the Panthers have Horn, Bouye, and Henderson all under contract through the 2022 season.  It is unclear how much of a factor this will be when potential negotiations with Donte Jackson who is in the last year of his current contract.  The spark of urgency shown by the Panthers Front Office is a refreshing sight for this Panthers fan.  It does raise a few questions about where this mindset was in the off-season when handling the offensive line issues, but that’s neither here nor there.  Entering the 2021 season the secondary unit was surrounded by question marks, many of those questions are still unanswered, but with the loss of their first round draft pick Panthers fans still have reason to be optimistic.

The Big D… and Then There’s Dallas

Sunday’s week 4 matchup in Dallas, Texas will be the toughest matchup for the Panthers defense so far this season.  The Panthers will look to do to the Cowboys’ offense what they have done to every opponent they've faced, take away the run game, and use the creative schemes dialed up by DC Phil Snow to terrorize Dak with the pass rush.  In week 3 the Cowboys gave up four sacks to the Eagles’ defense.  The offensive line of Dallas will see little drop-off in talent if any when they line up in the trenches this week.  For those out there thinking that the Cowboys will lean on RB Ezekiel Elliott, sink your teeth into this.  This season on rushing plays the Panthers are averaging first contact with the ball carrier in the backfield.  Through three games this season the backup in Dallas has been more of a punch than Elliott.  Tony Pollard is averaging 6.8 yards on 27 attempts compared to Elliott’s 4.5 on 44 attempts.  What is really eye-catching is that Elliott does not have a single rush over twenty yards this season.  The speed of the Carolina defense could be a key factor in preventing Elliott from breaking loose.  Against opposing running backs this year the Panthers have only relinquished a grand total of 104 yards.  The banged up offensive line of the Cowboys will have their hands full with both passing and run blocking schemes this week.  Keeping Dak upright and offering a clean pocket to operate from may prove to be a struggle for this unit.  There are likely more comparisons that can be made between the Panthers defense and the Tampa Bay defense that was seen in week 1.  I will be looking for Derrick Brown to make an impact this Sunday, though that presence may not appear on the stat sheet.

This is Darnold’s Ship

Before this season, a quick glance at the schedule, and it was easy to see this week’s Dallas game as the team’s first true test.  The early success of this Panthers team only magnifies the previous point.  Darnold and the offense will be without Christian McCaffrey for the first time this year.  This is a blow no different than any other team losing their top player.  There is no argument out there that makes the Panthers’ offense better without CMC on the field.  Offensive coordinator Joe Brady will be tasked with directing this offense in exploiting the holes of the Dallas defense.  The touches that had gone to CMC should be expected to be disseminated throughout the rest of the weapons on offense.  This and the Arnold trade are reasons why I expect Robby Anderson to stand out against Dallas.  The prior connection as teammates led many to believe that Anderson would stand out now that Darnold is under center.  That has not been the case in the first three weeks of the season.  It is time for Anderson to show why he is worth the contract extension he inked in the offseason.  4th round draft pick in this years’ draft, Chuba Hubbard will be slotted as the first-string RB on the depth chart.  A connection that seems to be flourishing is the one between DJ Moore and Sam Darnold.  The matchup with Dallas’ secondary could lead to DJ seeing fewer targets, and thus fewer catches.  The 2021 season has been marked by many questions for the Panthers, Sunday should deliver to us an answer to one of those questions; is Darnold the answer?  It will be up to Darnold to lead this team to another 1-0 week