Finding a silver lining in the Carolina Panthers’ disturbing 25-3 loss to the New York Giants won’t be easy. Conversely, searching for the ugly parts won’t be that difficult.
But let’s try to find some balance in the Week 7 defeat.
Dud: Sam Darnold
Despite this series being called “Studs and duds,” we’re starting with the duds, and you’ll see why at the end. Nonetheless, this kicks off with the obvious.
Darnold has regressed with each passing week, and that’s ironic since he’s not doing much passing. He finished with a 16-of-25 clip on his throws for 111 yards and an airmailed interception to our old friend James Bradberry.
His flaws have never been more apparent in a Carolina uniform, as he’s lost in the pocket, lost on his touch and lost on his reads. A third straight frantic performance led to his benching early in the fourth.
Stud: Brian Burns
Burns bounced back after a relatively quiet trio of showings in the previous three losses. The third-year edge rusher totaled four tackles, with three of them going for a loss.
He also chalked up one of the two sacks the Panthers had on the day.
Dud: The “new offensive identity”
Head coach Matt Rhule vowed to implement, or at least promote, a new identity for their struggling offense heading into Week 7. He stressed the importance of running the ball more and running it effectively.
They did neither.
Against what was the fourth-worst rushing defense in the NFL coming in, Carolina mustered up all of 56 yards on the ground over 17 carries. Additionally, those 17 carries were drastically outnumbered by their 39 passes.
Stud: Jeremy Chinn
Chinn was seemingly all over the field. He recorded a team-high eight tackles over what was an admirable effort amidst a listless showing from the team as a whole.
The second-year safety exhibited that speed and athleticism, even in a forgettable afternoon, that got fans excited throughout his rookie campaign.
Dud: Robby Anderson
2021 continues to be a rough, rough campaign for Anderson. Although he was targeted nine times, Robby caught three balls for a grand total of 14 yards.
Through the first seven games of the season, he’s now up to 204 yards, 18 receptions and two touchdowns. For comparison’s sake, he had 223 yards through just two games in 2020.
Stud: Keith Kirkwood
No more wallowing. We’re closing this one out on a heartwarming note.
Back in August, Kirkwood took a nasty hit to the head from former teammate J.T. Ibe in practice. The collision resulted in the 27-year-old wideout being taken off the field on a backboard and away to an ambulance.
Today, Kirkwood made his first appearance back in a regular season game since the scary incident. He finished with three catches, 16 yards and one unforgettable and inspiring moment. Congratulations, Keith.
After what happened to him at training camp, Keith Kirkwood is taking in the moment today.
📷 @nellez_ pic.twitter.com/Of6OFf28R3
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) October 24, 2021
