GAME GRADES: Panthers defense, special teams earn high marks in ugly win
Written by Steve Reed
http://www.carolinagrowl.com/Read.aspx?Story=846
OFFENSIVE MVP: DeAngelo Williams
He ran for 140 yards on 19 carries, the bulk of that coming on an impressive 69-yard touchdown burst up the middle in the second quarter.
DEFENSIVE MVP: Julius Peppers
He had a magnificent game with three sacks, two forced fumbles and seven tackles as the defense held the Raiders to just 3.5 yards per play.
RUN OFFENSE: B-
It was by no means a dominant rushing performance by the Panthers, but DeAngelo Williams managed 140 yards on 19 carries, 69 of those coming on a touchdown run up the middle in the second quarter. Take away that one run and the Panthers averaged just 3.4 yards per carry against the league’s 30th-ranked run defense. But Williams’ run, which included a 360-degree spin, was tremendous and a key part of the game giving the Panthers a 14-0 lead. Jonathan Stewart, playing with a sore heel, added 21 yards on seven carries.
PASS OFFENSE: F
Jake Delhomme had his worst statistical game as a pro, finishing 7-of-27 for 72 yards with four interceptions and one touchdown for a career-low 12.3 quarterback rating. In a word, he was terrible, and he’ll admit that. Delhomme overthrew a bunch of receivers and never could get in sync. After the game, coach John Fox said the Panthers will have to “take a closer look” at the passing game. Steve Smith was held to just one catch for 9 yards. Muhsin Muhammad had three grabs for 38 yards and a score, but also dropped a ball on third down.
RUN DEFENSE: B-
The Raiders were able to run the ball a little bit on the Panthers, finishing with 147 yards on 36 caries, a 4.1-yard average. Justin Fargas was particularly effective with 89 yards rushing on 22 carries, but the Raiders had nothing to balance out their running game.
PASS DEFENSE: A+
The Panthers turned in a dominant performance, registering five sacks and two interceptions. Andrew Walter, starting for the injured Jemarcus Russell, completed just 14 of 32 passes for 143 yards with two interceptions for a quarterback rating of 31.1. Oakland’s wide receivers were a non-factor with Javon Walker limited to two catches for 27 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
The Panthers forced a fumble on the opening kickoff which led to a touchdown and Mark Jones had a 59-yard kickoff return and a 55-yard punt return, clearly his best game of the season. Carolina’s coverage teams were outstanding, limiting the Raiders to 2.4 yards per punt return and 18 yards per kickoff return. John Kasay’s streak of 21 straight field goals ended when he missed a 54-yarder into the wind. He did hit from 32 yards late in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
COACHING: C
The Panthers looked flat on offense, but everyone insists that wasn’t from having a week off. The Panthers claim they had their best week of practice last week on offense, although it didn’t translate into production on the field. When you have a weapon like Steve Smith you have to get him involved in the offense and the Panthers did not. From a defensive standpoint, the Panthers were fantastic. The Raiders had 17 offensive possessions on Sunday, but managed just six points.
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