Panthers report card: How pathetic was the Carolina passing attack in loss to Rams?
With starting quarterback Baker Mayfield sidelined with a high ankle sprain, the Carolina Panthers (1-5) completely abandoned their passing attack to open up the Steve Wilks era on Sunday in a 24-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (3-3) at SoFi Stadium.
Wilks, who took over for fired head coach Matt Rhule on Monday, chose to lean heavily on the running game against the Rams with backup PJ Walker leading the offense. That strategy worked in the first half, but the Rams eventually realized that stopping the run would shut down any hope the Panthers had for movement on offense.
After taking a 10-7 lead to halftime, the Panthers’ defense coughed up 17 consecutive points. The Panthers ended up losing to the Rams on the road in ugly fashion.
With several injuries popping up on defense and wideout Robbie Anderson creating theatrics on the sideline, the first game of the Wilks era was one to forget. And while Panthers seemed to play loose under new leadership, the same issues continued to pop up in Inglewood, as the quarterback play bombed, the defense let up in the second half, and the offense was non-existent for the majority of the fourth quarter.
RUSHING OFFENSE
C: Despite trade calls being made, running back Christian McCaffrey was the Panthers’ bell-cow playmaker on Sunday. He was frankly their only competent weapon against the Rams, but offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo did a solid job of switching up personnel early.
During the first five games of the season, the backup duo of D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard averaged just over two combined touches per game. During the first two drives of the Wilks era, the pair combined for five touches. The Panthers knew they need to lean on the running game and did just that.
However, the Rams eventually figured out that the Panthers couldn’t pass and simply stacked the box against the run. After jumping out with 52 rushing yards on six carries to start the game, McCaffrey finished with 69 rushing yards on 13 carries. Foreman and Hubbard combined for 25 rushing yards on seven total carries.
PASSING OFFENSE
F: Well, yikes. Through the first six possessions of the game, P.J. Walker had 39 passing yards on 11 throws. The Panthers knew that Walker was limited and that the Rams’ defense could be vulnerable to screen plays, especially at the second level, so the majority of the passing offense was at the line of scrimmage or behind it. Walker was a hand-off machine for most of the game, and when he did attempt passes, they were mostly just running plays with a “pass” as the hand off.
Walker didn’t complete a pass in the second half until the final play of the third quarter. His top receiver, McCaffrey, caught seven passes for 89 yards — 49 of those yards came off a dump off pass from another quarterback. The rest of the receiving yards — a total of 30 — were split between tight end Ian Thomas, wideout DJ Moore and running back Chuba Hubbard.
Robbie Anderson wasn’t targeted throughout the afternoon and was eventually removed from the sideline by Wilks after arguing with an assistant coach.
When Walker tried a couple of deep shots, the ball was off the mark. Overall, Walker completed just 10 of 16 passes for 60 yards.
Walker was eventually knocked out of the game with a neck injury in the fourth quarter. Practice-squad quarterback Jacob Eason completed three of five passes for 59 yards and an interception in relief.
RUSHING DEFENSE
C+: While the Panthers were able to make several early stops against the run early in the game, the unit did give up the go-ahead touchdown on a receiver sweep play in the third quarter. The Panthers let backup wideout Ben Skowronek glide into the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown. Otherwise, the Panthers allowed 96 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
There were a few major letdowns in the running game, though. A couple of long third downs were mitigated by long runs for first downs. On a positive note, linebacker Shaq Thompson had a couple of stops for losses.
Overall, it was a solid but unspectacular performance for the running game.
PASSING DEFENSE
C: Like the run defense, the pass defense had its ups and downs. Wideout Allen Robinson made a couple impressive leaping grabs, including a five-yard touchdown score, against secondary. Matthew Stafford completed 26 of 33 passes for 253 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The pick came at the end of the second quarter, as cornerback Donte Jackson had a throw aimed right at him, and he returned the ball to the end zone for a touchdown.
The Panthers were without starting cornerback Jaycee Horn, and Jackson left the game in the middle of the third quarter with an ankle injury. The Rams picked on backup cornerback Keith Taylor Jr. for the majority of the second half and that strategy worked to perfection.
SPECIAL TEAMS
B+: The Panthers’ special teams unit was relatively steady throughout the afternoon. Kicker Eddy Pineiro nailed a 42-yard field goal attempt following the opening drive. Punter Johnny Hekker averaged 51.8 yards per punt on six attempts. Hekker had two touchbacks and two balls placed within the 20-yard line.
Shi Smith returned two punts for 13 yards, while Raheem Blackshear had a 24-yard kick return against the Rams.
This story was originally published October 16, 2022 at 7:34 PM with the headline "Panthers report card: How pathetic was the Carolina passing attack in loss to Rams?."
