Carolina Panthers

Christian McCaffrey played 22 snaps before leaving with a hamstring injury.View the full article on Panthers.com

Between their backup running backs making plays and their defense continuing to shine, the Panthers did what they needed to Thursday.View the full article on Panthers.com

ws Home Ask the Old Guy Transactions News Archives Television/Radio E-Mail Newsletter Espanol Media Information Media Credentials 25 Seasons RSS Feeds Presented by Stats and Superlatives: Panthers defense enters elite company Sep 24, 2021 at 02:16 AM Will Bryan TEAM STATS The Panthers defense held the Texans to 193 net yards, the third straight game of holding an opponent under 200 yards. Carolina has only allowed 573 yards through its first three games, the fewest allowed by any NFL team starting 3-0 since 1992. The Panthers defense gave up just 42 rushing yards, and Carolina now has the fewest rush yards allowed (135) through the first three games of a season in franchise history. It's the eighth-fewest in the NFL, dating back to 1995. The Panthers recorded four sacks and nine quarterback hits. Carolina's 14 sacks through the first three games tie the 1998 team for the best start in terms of total sacks. The Panthers limited held the Texans to 1-of-9 on third down. Carolina has allowed just a 21.2 percent third-down conversion rate, second-best (20.5, 2002) in franchise history through three games. Offensively, the Panthers scored on all three second-half drives before the final kneel-downs. Carolina's 220 second-half scrimmage yards were its most in the second half since Week 14 of 2020 against Denver. The Panthers scored touchdowns on three of five red zone opportunities, including all three goal-to-go chances. The Panthers committed a season-high eight penalties for 64 yards. Carolina won its first primetime game since Monday Night Football in 2017 against the Dolphins. It was the first win on Thursday Night Football since 2016. Full Game Highlights: Panthers 24 Texans 9  PLAYER STATS Panthers Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 304 yards on 23-of-34 passing with no interceptions for a passer rating of 95.7. He also ran for two touchdowns, his first career multiple rushing TD game and the ninth by a quarterback in Panthers history. Darnold has now passed for over 275 yards with a rating above 95 in three straight games, a new career-best. Wide receiver DJ Moore recorded his 10th career 100-yard receiving game as he finished with 126 yards on eight receptions. He had 76 receiving yards in the first quarter. Tight end Tommy Tremble scored a rushing touchdown on his first NFL offensive touch, then followed it up with a 30-yard reception on his second touch to set up a field goal on the next drive. Running back Chuba Hubbard finished with 52 rushing yards and 27 receiving yards on 14 touches after taking over for the injured Christian McCaffrey. Linebacker Haason Reddick had 1.5 sacks for the third-straight game, tying Julius Peppers (2004) for the longest streak of games with at least 1.5 sacks in franchise history. Defensive end Brian Burns had a sack for a fifth-straight game dating back to 2020. Burns and Reddick tied Mike Rucker/Mark Fields (2002) and Kevin Greene/Lamar Lathon (1996) for most consecutive games (3) that a pair of Panthers teammates each had a sack.

Read what head coach Matt Rhule, Sam Darnold and DJ Moore said after the Panthers win.View the full article on Panthers.com

On a night when he lost his best weapon, the quarterback stepped up to lead the Panthers to a win in Houston.View the full article on Panthers.com

Injuries to a pair of stars clouded another solid defensive effort against the Texans.View the full article on Panthers.com

McCaffrey injured his hamstring early in the second quarter.View the full article on Panthers.com

Yetur Gross-Matos is out with an ankle injury and A.J. Bouye is at least a week away from his return.View the full article on Panthers.com

Read live updates from social media during Carolina's Week 3 game against the Texans.View the full article on Panthers.com

The Panthers are excited to add the veteran corner to a defense which has played at a high level the first two weeks.View the full article on Panthers.com

The Panthers will be missing their backup defensive end, but are otherwise ready for Thursday's game.View the full article on Panthers.com

Check out this unique, raw perspective of gameday.View the full article on Panthers.com

The Chambers Cougars and Hough Huskies play in a battle of one versus two on Friday night at American Legion Memorial Stadium.View the full article on Panthers.com

Last week's issues had a number of causes, some of them beyond anyone's control.View the full article on Panthers.com

The Panthers play on primetime at Houston on NFL Network on Thursday night.View the full article on Panthers.com

Fans seem less angry all of a sudden. But the team has to focus one week at a time, and so does the mailbag.View the full article on Panthers.com

The veteran guard will miss some time with a hamstring injury.View the full article on Panthers.com

Yetur Gross-Matos was held out Tuesday, while Morgan Fox was limited with an ankle injury.View the full article on Panthers.com

Photographer Chanelle Smith-Walker breaks down some of her favorite frames from Sunday's win.View the full article on Panthers.com

The Panthers moved up across the board after the 2-0 start.View the full article on Panthers.com

The running back, who leads the league in yards from scrimmage, is cognizant of the challenge of playing on Thursday.View the full article on Panthers.com

Rookie quarterback Davis Mills likely to get start on Thursday night.View the full article on Panthers.com

Carolina plays on primetime for a national audience on NFL Network on Thursday night.View the full article on Panthers.com

They'll have to switch up the starting lineup because of injury, but the pass protection has improved.View the full article on Panthers.com

Through two weeks, the Panthers have the NFL's top-ranked defense in a number of categories. CHARLOTTE — There are plenty of conditions you can put on it. It's early yet. They haven't gone on the road. The schedule, this or that. But when you boil what's happened in the first two weeks of the season down to cold, hard numbers, there's a factual conclusion. At this moment, after two games, according to statistics, the Carolina Panthers have the best defense in the NFL. The Panthers currently lead the league in a number of defensive categories, enough that you have to make a list or else they'll get lost in a sea of numbers: — Yards allowed per game (190.0) — Points allowed per game (10.5) — Passing yards allowed per game (143.5) — Rushing yards allowed per game (46.5) — Sacks (10) — Quarterback hits (21) — Defensive third-down percentage (25.0) One-on-one with Brian Burns after win  Just to put those numbers into context, the Panthers were 18th in total and scoring defense, 23rd in sacks, and 31st in third-down conversions (yes, next to last in the league) in 2020. The fact they reached those rankings by shutting down the Saints Sunday made it even more gratifying, though most of the guys contributing weren't around for many or any of the recent problems against New Orleans (the Saints had won four straight and eight of nine against the Panthers prior to Sunday). "It says a lot," Panthers defensive end Brian Burns said. "In all honesty, the defense had a very dominant performance for the second week in a row. I'm proud of them for real. "I'm just liking the energy, to be honest. We're all playing together and for each other, and that's why we're so dominant right now." The improvements in the pass rush are the most significant and most obvious difference at the moment. Burns is an emerging star, and they found him some help, signing free agents Haason Reddick, Morgan Fox, and DaQuan Jones this offseason. Chanelle Smith-Walker/Carolina Panthers Reddick leads the team with three sacks at the moment, but eight different players have at least half a sack already. "Right now, exceeding," Reddick said of the expectations for the pass rush. "I wouldn't lie, right now we are exceeding where I thought we could be, and it's surprising to me, but it's just a testament to the work that we put in during training camp and OTAs. "Getting here, gelling with each other, bonding, getting to know each other and everybody just committing to one goal, out there playing as hard as possible." As Reddick noted, it's not just about sacks. The fact the Panthers are able to lead the league in that category at the moment depends on the run defense being as good as it is. Keeping Alvin Kamara and one of the league's best offensive lines in check on early downs made it easier on passing downs, and that collective work is what they're clearly most proud of at the moment. Full Game Highlights: Panthers down Saints, 26-7  When Panthers coach Matt Rhule was asked about the pressure Sunday, he began by praising the run defense, and then went through a laundry list of individual players who did particular things, and then the schematic details that allowed them to succeed. In short, it's a lot of stuff, and it has come together quickly to the credit of many. "At the end of the day," Rhule said, "they owned it, they delivered on it." Now, when the Panthers come to work Monday to begin preparing for their Thursday game against the Texans, they'll be greeted by the weekly challenge to go 1-0. That means little time to celebrate, and more focus on what's to come. "I'm sure the guys are happy we won," Rhule said. "I want them to feel like my hard work and preparation is working. I think that's the message. It's not about am I good enough. It's am I doing the right things to win and then they have to be honest about, hey, this is what I need to do to improve. When you win a game, it brings a whole new set of problems. We have got to improve. But I want them to be happy. They work really hard. We have guys who lay it on the line and sacrifice a lot. "There is a lot of sacrifice and humility from a lot of guys in that locker room. You can't have that many sacks from that many people and not have it be everyone else doing their jobs. So that guy gets up and the camera goes on him, but a lot of guys covering, doing a nice job. And it's the offense. Trust me, there are so many times on fourth-and-1, fourth-and-2, I want to go for it, but I keep saying you've got a good defense today. Trust the defense. Pump the ball down. It's just a little bit of everyone to me."