WEEK 2: Panthers WIN versus San Francisco: Stats & Analysis

[KB_fan]

It feels VERY good to have the Panthers get the W yesterday!  A pretty drama-filled game but eventually the Cats ended up dominating pretty thoroughly.

Once again, this thread will serve as an archive of sorts.... a place for links to game analysis and stats from the media and Twitter..., as well as original gamebook analysis from me.

Please feel free to join in and post any game analysis and stats you think will be of interest.

[KB_fan]

Work is pretty busy for me this morning, so I won't be able to post too much to this thread until late this afternoon, but let me start with a few things that jumped out at me as I entered the gamebook data yesterday:

 

1) Tale of two halves on offense.  Panthers were lit on offense in 2nd half:

I'll post my "game at a glance" drive chart later today once I've finished it, but the Panthers' offense in the 2nd quarter was pretty amazing.  6 of 7 2^nd Quarter drives ended in points!!!  Wow.   All 5 of Panthers Red Zone appearances were in the 2^nd half.

 2) 

Huge improvement in run defense, and stopping SF on 3^rd downs.

Held SF to 65 yards (2.5 yards / carry) and allowed only 1 rush for 10+ yards (compared to 6 last week).

3rd down defense was dramatically improved.  After allowing Denver to convert 50% of their 3rd down attempts; Panthers allowed SF to convert on only 4 of 14 attempts (29%).  SF had 9 drives with 0 first downs!!! 

3) Turnovers!!

It's pretty amazing that the Panthers ended up winning by 19 points even after turning over the ball 4 times.  Those turnovers made the game seem MUCH closer than it really was (and made our defense seem worse than it was).   20 of SF’s 27 points came off of Panthers’ turnovers.  They had only 1 scoring drive that did not begin on a Panther’s mistake.

I'll have much more commentary, tons of tables, as well as some good links & tweets later in the day.

[KB_fan]

Here's data on turnovers for both week 1 & 2:

[RumHam]

We CANNOT turn the ball over. Ginn had a moment of Diarrhea yesterday. This should have been 46-7.

[KB_fan]

Since they're handy and ready to post, let me post my summary tables for rushing & receiving even though I don't have time to add any commentary this morning:

Here are the tables for rushing - for week 2 and the season to date.  I hope to post such tables every week. 

Fozzy really stepped up / balled out in a big way yesterday!

Note: the tables are not sorted in a meaningful order.  This is actually the order of the week 1 leaderboard.  I forgot to re-sort the tables for week 2 and season-to-date.  Sorry about that.

[KB_fan]

Here are the Receiving tables:

Of note, Kelvin & Greg accounted for 43% of targets, down from 67% of targets in week 1.

(Again, the sort order is not significant - I failed to change it from week 1)

[KB_fan]

BBR's Stats & Superlatives:

http://blackandbluereview.com/stats-superlatives-panthers-newton-set/

Always one of my favorite articles of the week!!!  Here are some excerpts:

 

 

Quote

 

THE PANTHERS:

• Extended their league-leading home win streak to 14 games. Kansas City has the second-longest such streak with seven consecutive wins at Arrowhead Stadium.

 

• Took 3:43 to complete their first win of the season. According to Pro Football Reference, that equals Carolina’s 3rd-longest regulation game since 1999.

 

• Totaled 529 yards, their third-most in the regular season and their most since they gained 530 at New Orleans on 12/30/12.

 

• Scored 46 points, their third-most in the regular season and their most since they scored 48 against the Bucs on 12/24/11.

 

• Scored 17 points off three 49ers’ turnovers. Carolina scored just seven points off three turnovers at Denver.

 

• Had seven plays of 20-plus yards. Their biggest play in Week One was a 20-yard run by WR Ted Ginn Jr.

 

• Gained 134 yards and picked up seven first downs in the 3rd quarter a week after they picked up just 32 yards and one first down in the 3rd at Denver.

 

• Had their first ever game with two 100-yard receivers (Greg Olsen — 122 and Kelvin Benjamin — 108), a 100-yard rusher (Fozzy Whittaker — 100) and a 300-yard passer (Cam Newton — 353).

 

 

[KB_fan]

Very nice write up by Joe Person at the Observer:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article102650467.html

Here's one point I don't think I've seen others mention, and I think it probably is a big part of Carolina's current home winning streak:

In talking about the good O-line protection Cam got against San Fran, Person writes:

Quote

 

There were a few things that worked in the Panthers’ favor in keeping Cam upright.

It helped that they were playing at home, where Newton could use his normal cadence rather than the silent snap counts the Panthers relied on in the din of Mile High. Newton said that let the line and the entire offense play with a better tempo.

 

 

Yup.  Cam's cadence had become a big part of his game, and I think the noise in Denver was a serious disadvantage.  During the Super Bowl too.  Santa Clara was NOT a neutral site....

 

A bit more about the Panthers' offense yesterday:

Quote

 

Given protection, Newton turned in one of his most prolific passing games.

He completed 24-of-40 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns. It was the fourth-highest passing total of his career, and the most since Week 4 of his rookie season.

Newton also moved past Jake Delhomme into the top spot in two Panthers passing categories – career touchdowns (122) and 300-yard passing games (12).

Someone mentioned the records to Newton afterward. He smiled and said he wanted to win games.

“That’s it,” he added. “And along the way, obviously, you can’t win football games without scoring points.”

Newton’s performance also helped the Panthers achieve another milestone. Sunday was the first time in the franchise’s 22 years that Carolina had a 300-yard passer, two 100-yard receivers (Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen) and a 100-yard rusher (Fozzy Whittaker).

Coach Ron Rivera said the success started up front.

“I thought they did a great job,” he said. “We had over 500 yards of total offense so we obviously did something well.”

 

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article102650467.html#storylink=cpy

[KB_fan]

@MurkN has put together one of his AMAZING GIF threads.  Excellent way to review the highlights in one place:

 

[Ricky Spanish]

Yesterday's victory was the first 46-27 score in NFL history. 

Neat

[KB_fan]

Nice job by ST coach to make adjustments on mortar kicks midway through the game:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article102652602.html

Quote

 

Kick returner Ted Ginn Jr. and his blockers struggled with the so-called mortar kicks that Phil Dawson was placing short of the goal line. The low point was Ginn’s muffed kick in the second half that the 49ers recovered at the Panthers’ 2, setting up a Blaine Gabbert touchdown run a play later.

“With the bounce, you’re never supposed to let a ball hit the ground,” said Ginn, adding he was “just trying to be calm, cool and collected (while) trying to find” the ball.

New special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey adjusted after Ginn’s muff, moving Ginn up several yards and putting linebacker Shaq Thompson deep as a personal protector of sorts.

Ginn said he also adjusted by lining up a little farther left. The result: Ginn took Dawson’s next kick down the sideline for a 59-yard return to set up a field goal.

 

 

[KB_fan]

A few game notes from Scott Fowler:

▪ In the one season that Olsen and Kelvin Benjamin played together, in 2014, each finished with exactly 1,008 yards receiving. Now, after two games in 2016, Benjamin has 199 receiving yards and Olsen has 195.

▪ A couple of defensive nitpicks: The Panthers continue to get an inconsistent rush from their defensive ends. And several times you had to wonder where Carolina’s safeties had gone and left the middle of the field wide open. Carolina lost the turnover battle 4-3, but did have two fourth-quarter interceptions (by Luke Kuechly and rookie James Bradberry).

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/scott-says-blog/article102656657.html#storylink=cpy

[KB_fan]

BBR with game notes - including the Ted Ginn Roller Coaster:

The Ted Ginn Jr. Roller Coaster

Because of the NFL’s new touchback rule, the 49ers went short on all six of their kickoffs. The strategy worked well on their first three kickoffs, which pinned the Panthers at their 9-, 20- and 22-yard line.

The fourth REALLY worked well when Ted Ginn Jr. muffed the return, setting San Francisco up at the Panthers’ 1-yard line.

“It was one of those that was kind of halfway in between and I think he was expecting the odd man to get the ball,” Rivera said. “That’s something we will get worked out. I’ll make sure we will get that corrected. If we can get that ball in 19’s hands and block, he is explosive, and he showed you his ability.”

Yeah, the 49ers’ final two short kicks didn’t work out as well. Ginn took those 59 and 24 yards.

“We couldn’t hang our head. I came back and made the next play,” he said. “That’s all it is about is the next play.”

 

http://blackandbluereview.com/panthers-post-49ers-6-pack/

[KB_fan]

BBR with some good comments from James Bradberry on his play yesterday:

http://blackandbluereview.com/james-bradberry-on-field-education/

Quote

 

On Sunday against the 49ers, Bradberry's emotions ran the gamut.

It started in the second quarter when Bradberry was in man-to-man coverage against receiver Torrey Smith, whose 28-yard touchdown gave the visitors a 10-7 lead. Although coach Ron Rivera implied safety Tre Boston should have been back there to help in coverage, Bradberry was kicking afterward.

"When I gave up that touchdown," he said. "I had my eyes in the wrong place."

But that was pretty much the only notable mistake by Bradberry, who capped off his first game at Bank of America Stadium in style.

With 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert again targeting Smith late in the fourth quarter, Bradberry snagged his first interception since Samford's season finale last November.

"Score," Bradberry said when asked what went through his mind during his first pro pick. "That's what we always practice — any time we get a fumble or interception, get up and score.

"I remember I heard Thomas Davis in my ear saying, 'Get down! Get down!"

After 16 yards, that's what Bradberry did at the 49ers' 27-yard line. He did, though, keep the ball.