The Panthers do not necessarily play an attractive style of football, and that’s going to cause people to doubt their legitimacy.
But they are excellent at one thing in particular — they know exactly who they are.
They lack receiving targets, and their quarterback is unconventional. But they are a team completely in touch without their own personality, and they showed it again Sunday night in a 27-16 win over the Eagles.
The Panthers ran for 204 yards and passed for 190, clearly willing to grind out a game under the lights when people are watching.
But even if it’s not the most watchable brand of football, it’s working for them. And self-awareness has to be worth something.
The Panthers would be foolish to try to pass too much, because they don’t have many good receivers. The best of the lot, Ted Ginn, is sometimes a 50-50 proposition to catch it when it hits him in his hands. But Ginn also had a 43-yard rush mixed in, and caught a few balls in stride, so it’s OK.
And with an improved offensive line (left tackle Michael Oher has been a steal for them), the Panthers are back to playing the kind of football that works best for them. With eighth-year Jonathan Stewart running like he’s always seemed capable of (24 carries for 125 yards) and fullback Mike Tolbert scoring twice and quarterback Cam Newton a constant threat to break a big play (even on a night when he throws three picks), the Panthers might just bring the running game back.
It’s not the kind of thing that will create big ratings, or convince skeptics.
But they are 6-0, and that can’t be completely accidental, or explained away by strength of schedule.
Here are five more things we learned during Sunday Night Football:
1. The Eagles gave DeMarco Murray the big contract, but they have to give Ryan Mathews more carries.
It wasn’t just the 63-yard touchdown hurts in the third quarter, but Mathews looked like the more decisive runner of the pair throughout the night.
The former Chargers back finished with six carries for 97 yards (16.2 yards per attempt, 6.8 without the big one). Murray had 18 carries for 65 yards (3.6). It’s not that Murray doesn’t have quick-strike ability, but the Eagles’ ground game has been slow to develop (as in weeks, not within the game), and Mathews offers the kind of burst they need.
And if he’s running more, their receivers aren’t dropping passes.
2. At some point, the NFL has to change the way they vote for Pro Bowl, if only so Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis can get some recognition.
Davis and the rest of the 4-3 linebackers in the league are handicapped by not having outrageous sack totals like their 3-4 counterparts, and constantly miss out on the all-star game as a result.
But Davis has been impressive on the field for years, after coming back from three torn ACLs and popping his own finger back into place mid-play last week.
In the first half, he made an open-field tackle of Eagles running back Darren Sproles, the kind Sproles has left people in the dust on for years. But Davis stayed square and made the play, one of the few guys who can move in space as fluidly as Sproles. It was as representative of his skill as last week’s self-surgery was of his toughness.
3. Speaking of players who don’t get the appropriate recognition, but may soon, add Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins to the list.
His diving interception of a Newton pass just before halftime was his first of the year. But he’s made plenty of plays, showing impressive range in the back of the Philly secondary.
4. Rookie wide receiver Devin Funchess had a chance to become a key part of the Panthers’ offense, but he keeps letting it clang off his hands.
Eagles cornerback Byron Maxwell was fortunate to run under a third-quarter pass when Funchess let a rocket from Newton bounce into the air. He had a similar play last week, gift-wrapping an interception which the Seahawks dropped as well.
The second-round pick came back to make some plays late in the game against the Seahawks, and as the Panthers showed with starter Philly Brown, they’ll give a kid plenty of chances.
But in the absence of Kelvin Benjamin, the Panthers were ready for someone to become a playmaker, and Fucnhess hasn’t been that guy yet.
5. Rough night for Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis, but not for the usual reason.
He missed a 50-yard field goal, but that is going to happen from time to time.
He also kicked off out of bounds, giving the Panthers the ball on the 40, and they’d go onto score a touchdown on that possession. The Eagles can’t afford to give up free yardage, especially against a team willing to play field-position and clock-control themselves.
