Panthers were the top defense against the run on third and fourth down last season per PFF Pro Football Focus revealed their top defenses against the run in third or fourth and short situations Youth Trai Turner Jersey , and the Carolina Panthers ranked at the top of the list.This information probably isn’t surprising news to Panthers fans, we do have the best middle linebacker and one of the best defensive tackles in the league after all in Luke Kuechly and Kawann Short, but it is still nice to get some statistical validation to be able to quantify just how good they were last year. The above numbers mean 48% of the time when another team attempted to run for a first down on third or fourth and two or less, we stopped them.These are the kinds of numbers that make head coaches like Ron Rivera super proud, and fortunately for us, only the most forward thinking coaches and coordinators in the league would try and use this information to do something else. Jonathan DeLong has spent the offseason using math to debunk all sorts of closely held NFL beliefs, and the information surrounding this directly validates that information.Hey, maybe some day the game will change, for now though... being really good at this metric is extremely good for us in Carolina, so keep running at us opposing teams! These key plays swung momentum and decided the Panthers 23-17 road loss against Washington, putting Carolina’s record at 3-2.Plays to Love, Plays to Hate (aka “P2L, P2H”) looks at the most significant plays in swinging momentum and impacting the eventual outcome of the game. There is always plenty to hate about NFL officiating, so we will only focus on the plays on the field, not the refs.Three plays to love2nd Quarter 3:11 – Panthers 0, Washington 17. Panthers ball 2nd-and-10 at WAS 23 The Situation: After a putrid start to the game, the Panthers were just outside the red zone and in desperate need of points.The Play: Devin Funchess just went up and over Quinton Dunbar in the end zone for a beast of a touchdown. The score cut Washington’s lead to 17-6 http://www.authentic...-addison-jersey , but then Graham Gano shanked the extra point because everything sucked about this game. 2nd Quarter 0:56 – Panthers 6, Washington 17. Washington ball 1st-and-10 at CAR 33 The Situation: The Panthers were forced to punt from their own end zone with about a minute left in the first half. Washington returned the punt to the Carolina 33 and were in perfect position to add at least a field goal to their 17-6 lead before the end of the first half. The Play: Alex Smith dropped to pass and Kyle Love broke through the line. Love forced Smith to into an intentional grounding penalty to avoid a sack. The penalty pushed the ball back 10 yards to the Carolina 43 and also resulted in a 10 second runoff down to just 37 seconds remaining in the half. Thanks to Love’s pressure, Washington’s drive stalled and they were forced to punt instead of attempting a long field goal. 4th Quarter 8:36 – Panthers 9, Washington 20. Panthers ball 1st-and-Goal at WAS 3 The Situation: Call this the Torrey Smith Drive. After being frustratingly unproductive all season, Torrey Smith went nuts on this crucial fourth quarter drive. The Play(s): Smith had receptions of 12, 11, and 8 yards before scoring a 3-yard touchdown. He then caught the 2-point conversion to trim Washington’s lead to 20-17.Three plays to hate1st Quarter 10:41 – Panthers 0, Washington 0. Washington PuntThe Situation: The Panthers defense forced Washington into a three-and-out on their first possession. D.J. Moore prepared to return the punt. The Play: Moore fielded the punt but got stripped as he ran with the ball away from his body. Washington recovered the fumble at the Carolina 22 and scored a touchdown on their next play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead.2nd Quarter 11:32 – Panthers 0, Washington 14. Panthers ball 1st-and-10 at CAR 46 The Situation: The Panthers were trailing 14-0 and finally had a good offensive play on a 22-yard reception to Devin Funchess to get near midfield.The Play: D.J. Moore caught a 17-yard pass to the Washington 33 but had the ball punched out of his arms by Josh Norman. Washington recovered the fumble and turned their next drive into a field goal for a 17-0 second quarter lead. 4th Quarter 13:49 – Panthers 9, Washington 17. Washington ball 3rd-and-12 at CAR 45 The Situation: The Panthers had reeled off nine straight points to pull to within one score (eight points) early in the fourth quarter. Washington faced a long third down just outside of field goal range.The Play: Dontari Poe pulled a boneheaded play by jumping offside and gifting Washington a 3rd-and-5 at the Carolina 40. On the next play Julius Peppers strip-sacked Alex Smith but Washington recovered the fumble and actually gained two yards to the Carolina 38. Because of Poe’s penalty, Washington’s kicker Dustin Hopkins had just enough room to nail a career-long 56-yard field goal to increase their lead to 20-9. The Panthers could never get over the hump.Closing it out and summing it upThis was a bad, bad loss and plenty has already been written here at CSR and elsewhere to document the inept coaching decisions and terrible on-field execution. But let’s be real here - D.J. Moore almost single-handedly lost this game. His inability to successfully pin the Panthers first punt inside the five followed by his two first half fumbles (yielding 10 points for Washington) absolutely wrecked this game.Dontari Poe is still invisible. Eric Reid has disappointed and got absolutely embarrassed by Alex Smith’s shoulder fake on Vernon Davis’ 22-yard touchdown. Luke Kuechly seems a step slow this year. Special teams was atrocious with the missed extra point, D.J. Moore’s fumble, three return penalties, and a bizarre squib kick to start the second half that was fielded at the 25 and returned to the 31. And, no, I’m not including Ron Rivera’s decision to punt on 4th-and-1 on the Panthers first drive as a “Play to Hate.” Was it conservative? Yes. Should the Panthers have gone for it? Again Color Rush Torrey Smith Jersey , yes. But even then this play didn’t cost the Panthers the game. It was a combined effort of ineptitude that included the entire coaching staff, D.J. Moore, Dontari Poe, Eric Reid, shoddy run blocking, and a defense that couldn’t get off the field. Ron Rivera’s decision to try to pin Washington on a first quarter punt (which D.J. Moore screwed up by running into the end zone) didn’t lose this game. These are the types of losses that can keep “good-but-not-elite” teams like the Panthers out of the playoffs. Let’s hope that isn’t the case. Plays to love season leaders2 - D.J. Moore, Efe Obada, James Bradberry1 - Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, Colin Jones, Devin Funchess, Donte Jackson, Graham Gano, Kawann Short, Kyle Love, Mario Addison, Norv Turner Color Rush Greg Van Roten Jersey , Torrey Smith, Wes HortonPlays to hate season leaders2 - Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Mike Adams1 - Amini Silatolu, C.J. Anderson, Captain Munnerlyn, Colin Jones, Devin Funchess, Dontari Poe, Donte Jackson, Eric Washington, Ian Thomas
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Panthers were the top defense against the run on third
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