What a time to get your 10th sack of the season!
With over four minutes remaining in the first half, Brian Burns shot up the gap on the Panthers’ own 23-yard line, smashed Russell Wilson, and forced him to fumble – setting up a fumble recovery by Defensive End Yetur Gross-Matos.
Sensational.
The Carolina Panthers’ defense played wickedly, while the offense clicked at “the same time” as they crushed the Denver Broncos 23-10 at Bank Of America Stadium. Here are the takeaways.
Darnold’s Efficient Game
In his season debut, Darnold threw for 164 yards on 11 completions and two touchdowns. These numbers aren’t anything special, but that’s not the point. The takeaway here is that Darnold didn’t do too much and took the risks that he could. As a result, he picked apart the Broncos’ top 3 ranked defense – something that he told me isn’t easy to do.
“It was nothing easy about going up against those guys,” he said. “Denver’s defense is one of the best defenses in the league. I think it’s just a credit to our guys, our offense, and how well we’ve prepared all week. It was great to get out there and dictate the tempo”
Eligible “Receivers”
During the game, I noticed how interim head coach Steve Wilks and Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo put extra linemen on offense and they were listed as eligible receivers. Guard Cade Mays and tackle Cameron Erving were out there with the eligible designation, and the first thing that came to my mind was trick plays and anything to switch up the offense. Not exactly. Mays and Erving were out there for extra protection in the trenches. The move paid off, because Darnold was able to operate in a clean pocket and it helped the rushing game, as well. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to implement the same after the bye week against the Seattle Seahawks’ defense.
More Moore
DJ Moore recorded his second 100-yard game of the season, after catching four passes for 103 yards. Knowing that this is the second time that Moore eclipsed the 100-yard mark this season is insane and it speaks to the struggles that the Panthers have had for most of the season. Moore snagged a 52-yard pass from Darnold late in the game. Before the play, Moore said that he and Darnold had a conversation before the play and they discussed ways to attack Denver’s secondary.
“We kind of dialed up that play at halftime,” Darnold said. “I was talking to him about his angle, where he wanted to take it based on safety leverage and how (Broncos CB) Pat Surtain was playing him.”
Ball Hogs
The Panthers dominated the time of possession, 37 minutes to the Broncos’ 23. The biggest part of this was attributed to Carolina’s conservative gameplay. They rushed the ball 46 times against the Broncos and managed to move the chains-gaining an average of 5.4 yards per offensive play. This is also a by-product of extra linemen to provide extra pocket protection.