Week 14 SHUTOUT WIN over the Falcons!!!! Stats & Analysis

[JawnyBlaze]

An interesting stat I just saw on facebook:

WRs with fewer TDs than Ginn:

Calvin Johnson

Larry Fitzgerald

Antonio Brown

Julio Jones

TY Hilton

[KB_fan]

I LOVE all the stats others are contributing to this thread.  Thanks!!!  It's much better when it's a group effort.

Here's BBR's snap counts:

http://blackandbluereview.com/week-14-snap-counts-falcons-at-panthers/

Kurt Coleman is just so cool.  I picked him back in some pre-season thread to be one of the season's dark horses / best new players, but his performance exceeds all expectations I ever had.  So thrilled to see how he's playing and the toughness and skill he's bringing to our secondary.

 

here are the notes:

—A 38-0 lead allowed coach Ron Rivera to rest most of his starters in the fourth quarter. On the offensive line, Michael Oher, Ryan Kalil and Trai Turner were pulled early while Andrew Norwell stayed at left guard and Mike Remmers jumped over to left tackle. Rookie Daryl Williams, who also featured in the Panthers’ jumbo package, finished out the game at right tackle.

—Greg Olsen (knee), who was held out of the second half as a precaution, played his fewest snaps since late 2011.

—The Panthers were also cautious with Jonathan Stewart (foot), which allowed Fozzy Whittaker to see his most playing time since last year’s tie in Cincinnati. Stewart’s 19 snaps were his fewest since 2013.

—Kurt Coleman has played 880 of 888 possible snaps this year. He missed one in Seattle and he sat out for seven at the end of the rout against Washington.

—Shaq Thompson‘s 37 snaps were his most since he played 48 against the Bucs in Week 4. Because of injuries in the secondary, the Panthers may use the rookie a bit more now in a hybrid role.

—Charles Johnson may not like it, but his playing time since returning from temporary injured reserve has made sense. The Panthers eased him back in with 21 snaps against the Cowboys before ramping Johnson up to 51 plays in New Orleans. So during Sunday’s blowout, coaches pretty much split the difference, giving him 34 snaps.

—Cortland Finnegan, who dealt with some cramping in the fourth quarter, played 33 snaps, just like he did in his debut against the Saints.

[KB_fan]

Ted Ginn wins for the fastest speed on an offensive play so far this year.  Very cool.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/nfl-fantasy-live-fast-carolina-210011627.html

[KB_fan]

post-game quotes by players & coaches:

http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Game-Quotes-Panthers-vs-Falcons/caf8da30-b73a-4477-8e27-89b9c1a7dd1f

I was struck by this quote by Kurt Coleman:

On the completeness of the effort: "It was just a complete game on all facets of the game. Think about the special teams, I mean (Devin) Hester is an incredible returner. Offense did their thing coming out in the opening of the game and going down and getting seven points. It gives us the confidence to go out there and play a lot more aggressive. And then defensively, even in that fourth quarter when they had that drop on fourth-and-six, we never gave up. We never gave up, and that's what I'm more proud of. I mean, 38-0 is nice, but how we finished this game is something, it's what we are. It's what we embody."

 

It;s like the mirror image of the Dallas game!  Kurt Coleman's pick 6 on the 3rd play of the game in that one set the tone for the Panthers.  In this one, the offense got a rare game where they started first and got the chance to set the pace and never look back.  Both our O and D can totally dominate teams. 

It rocks to be a Panthers fan.

[KB_fan]

@MurkN's great collection of GIFs from the game are here:

http://www.carolinahuddle.com/boards/topic/122542-gifs-from-the-falcons-game/

[KB_fan]

SWEET....

ESPN Stats & Info

 

✔ @ESPNStatsInfo

Highest Total QBR by a QB in Week 14

Cam Newton 97.3

Russell Wilson 97.2

Eli Manning 95.9

[KB_fan]

Not sure if I already linked this.  In case I missed it, David Newton has the stats on Cam's deep passing accuracy:
 

Quote

 

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton isn’t the most accurate passer in the NFL, but he is in terms of deep passes.

Newton has an accuracy percentage of an NFL-best 51.7 percent on throws that travel 20-plus yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

He has completed 25 of 60 attempts with six drops for 879 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception.

Newton was at his best in Sunday’s 38-0 win over Atlanta, completing all five attempts of 20-plus yards for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

 

More here:

http://espn.go.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/17891/panthers-qb-cam-newton-is-leading-the-nfl-in-deep-throw-accuracy

[KB_fan]

Jeremy just rewteeted this.  I knew Cam led a lot of RBs in rushing TDs, but I had no idea that no other player had 5 rushing TDs in each of the past 5 years.  Cam makes it look so easy!  Just assumed a bunch of RBs had similar numbers...!

 

Michael David Smith ‏@MichaelDavSmith 35m35 minutes ago

Cam Newton is the only NFL player with at least five rushing touchdowns in each of the last five seasons. Not the only QB. The only player.

[KB_fan]

I meant to post this earlier... in the game quotes article at Panthers.com, Ed Dickson lets something slip that know these guys have Santa Clara on the brain even though they're all being pretty good and careful to keep the "one week at a time focus"

Here's what Ed Dickson said:

Quote

TE ED DICKSON

On everybody stepping up after injuries: "It's a part of our game. Injuries are a part of our game, and you never want to see anyone go down. But, I don't know what's going on with 88 (Olsen), but I'm going to play my best and try to fill in the void if I have to play, if not, we want to keep this thing rolling."

On still being undefeated: "It feels good. We're going to soak it up for at least the next 24 hours and then we're going to go back to work, we're not done yet. All it means is that we won another game. Coach (Rivera) talks about it all the time and from the top of the organization to the bottom, we want to win games, we want to keep winning games. We want to be really sharp going into these next few months."

MONTHS... plural. 

So we're in December.  January is only 1 month ahead.  The only reason to speak of MONTHS is Feb 7th.

I like it.

[KB_fan]

Here's more on the Cam 5 rushing TDs for each of the past 5 years stat from PFT:  WOW WOW WOW.  That's my QB

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/12/15/cam-newton-is-scoring-touchdowns-like-no-other-nfl-player/

below is an excerpt, but there's more detail at PFT - go read the whole thing

Quote

 

Newton isn’t just running for a lot of touchdowns by the standards of a quarterback. Newton is running for a lot of touchdowns by the standards of a running back. There’s only one NFL player who has run for at least five touchdowns in each of the last five seasons, and it’s not a running back. It’s Newton.

There are four running backs who have rushed for at least five touchdowns in four of the last five seasons: LeGarrette Blount, Mark Ingram, Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson. But none of them have scored five touchdowns in five out of five years like Newton, and unless Lynch comes back from his injury and scores two touchdowns in the next three games, none of them will.

Newton already has 40 rushing touchdowns in his career, with three games left in his fifth season. Not only has no quarterback done that, but no quarterback has come close: Daunte Culpepper, with 26 rushing touchdowns in his first five seasons, comes the closest.

With 40 rushing touchdowns in his first five seasons, Newton is ahead of the pace of a lot of great running backs, and every running back who entered the league with Newton in 2011: DeMarco Murray, who leads the 2011 running back draft class in rushing touchdowns, is at 32, eight touchdowns behind Newton.

 

 

[KB_fan]

PFF makes the case for Cam as MVP:

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/12/15/pro-10-things-to-know-about-nfl-week-14/

 

Quote

 

3. Cam Newton continued his MVP campaign.

With another quality performance against the Falcons, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has now recorded the highest cumulative grade among all NFL QBs in the past five weeks.

In Week 14, Newton shared the honor of top grade with Seattle’s Russell Wilson, performing exceptionally well as a passer. In fact, since Week 8, Newton owns the highest passing grade of any QB, as well as the second-highest run grade.

In his latest endeavor against the Falcons, Newton threw three touchdowns and no picks. He was especially accurate on deep passes (20+ yards in the air), connecting on all five such attempts for 179 yards and two TDs—the most accurate of any NFL QB in Week 14. He was also extremely cool under pressure, accurate 80 percent of the time on passes where he was under pressure (third-best in Week 14).

Newton now owns the fifth-highest overall QB grade of the season, but will likely continue to climb with favorable defensive matchups to end the season (Giants, Falcons again, and Buccaneers).

 

 

Here's more from PFF:

4. The Panthers shut out the Atlanta Falcons to become 13-0.

While Newton may have stolen the headlines against Atlanta, it was the Carolina defense that put on the true show.

In the 38-0 win in Charlotte, only three players earned “red” grades for the game (below -1.0), while three Panthers earned a spot on Khaled Elsayed’s Team of the Week, featuring the best performers around the NFL.

Linebacker Thomas Davis did most of his damage to the Falcons’ passing game, forcing a fumble and beating a tackle for a hit on Matt Ryan. Luke Kuechly wasn’t far behind Davis, with another big game against the run.

DT Kawann Short continued his fantastic season, with two sacks and two forced fumbles. Short is now the seventh-ranked interior defender in the NFL this season.

Safety Kurt Coleman recorded his seventh interception of the season (he’s had one in each of the last five games).

[KB_fan]

Some cool Ted Ginn stats:
 

Quote

 

Despite a few drops, including two long ones that would have been touchdowns a week ago against New Orleans, Ginn hasn't disappointed. He already has 37 catches for 645 yards and eight touchdowns.

Among the 61 players who have been targeted 70 times this season, Ginn has the highest air yards per attempt (16.6), according to ESPN Stats & Information.

That is the highest of any Carolina player over the last 15 seasons.

Ginn's speed is a big reason the Panthers now are the highest-scoring team in the NFL (31.6 ppg.) for the first time in franchise history.

 

from here: http://espn.go.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/17918/is-panthers-wr-ted-ginn-jr-the-fastest-player-in-the-nfl

[KB_fan]

More PFF stats from the game against Atlanta.  Surprised Norwell gets such a low grade.

http://www.catscratchreader.com/2015/12/15/10204912/panthers-38-falcons-0-handing-out-the-grades-pro-football-focus

Offense:

• Cam Newton (+5.7) was brilliant once again. He completed all five of his passes that traveled over 20 yards for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
• Andrew Norwell (-2.2) played his worst game of the season.  He allowed three hurries in pass protection.
• Ted Ginn (+1.8) had his best receiving game of the season, but played only 26 snaps, his lowest total this year.
• Although he has struggled most of the year, Ed Dickson (+1.4) turned in a strong performance for the second straight week.
• Michael Oher (+0.8) received his highest grade this year. He allowed only one pressure in pass protection.

Newton has been amazing with the deep pass, especially when the WR can actually catch it. Ted Ginn has served as the perfect example of the WR that can 'take the top off of the defense'. As far as Norwell having a bit of an off game, no problem. The rest of the line was there to pick him up.

Defense:

• Kawann Short (+6.7) put together a great performance.  He registered four QB pressures (two sacks, one hit, and one hurry) and three stops.
• Thomas Davis (+4.6) received his best grade of the season. He played well in all aspects of the game as he received a positive grade in run defense, coverage, and as a pass rusher.
• Kony Ealy (-1.7) struggled again; he missed a season high two tackles.
• Shaq Thompson (+1.8) played 38 snaps, his highest total since week 4, and received his second best grade of the year.
• CB Teddy Williams (+0.5) was on the field for 18 plays, a season high, and delivered a solid performance.  He was targeted on three passes, but allowed only one completion for -4 yards.

Short is now the top pass rushing DT in the league. Short's performance shows how good of a scout Gettleman is as that is exactly what they saw in him when they drafted him.

It was good to see Teddy Williams getting significant snaps without getting a penalty.

Special Teams:

• Although his raw numbers were good, Brad Nortman (-1.2) received his second worst grade this year.
• Graham Gano (+2.4) booted touchbacks on five of his seven kickoffs.

Signature Stats:

• Cam Newton has an accuracy percentage (aimed throws + drops / attempts) of 51.7 on deep throws (20+ yards in air), the best in the NFL.  Newton has completed 25 of 60 such passes with six drops.  These attempts have gone for 879 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception.
• Bene Benwikere has a run stop percentage (tackles that constitute an offensive loss) of 3.9, which is the sixth best among 93 eligible cornerbacks.

[KB_fan]

Here's a look at the latest player grades (week 14) compared to a number of weeks earlier in the season (I haven't been compiling this every week, and PFF didn't start offering these grades to new subscribers until week 4.)  It's interesting to see how the grades for the team and certain players have evolved over time. 

Back in week 7 we had 4 players ranked 1st in their position (Luke. Josh, KK, Kalil).  Now we only have two players ranked #1 (Luke & Josh), but we have a lot more players ranked in top 10.  Week 4 we had 4 players in top 10 (would have been 5 if Luke had not been out with injury).  In Week 7 we had 7 top 10 players.  Now in week 14 we have 10 top 10 players.  It's great to see Cam, Stew & Olsen getting better recognition for their excellent play.  And we're down from 5 players with a grade of less than 50 to only 1.

Note the colors are my own - they are close to PFF's color scheme, but not quite identical.

If I have more time in a few days after my travel, I'll try to post more of the specific details per position group, including the grades for passing, running, pass blocking, run blocking, coverage, pass defense, run defense...