Week 8 WIN against Indianapolis - Stats & Analysis

[KB_fan]

I'm exhausted.  Only 2 hours of sleep due to staying up until 6 a.m. local time to watch the game...  so I may not post much today.  Need a gallon of coffee and then I have to get back to work on a big report due Friday.

But here's a thread to post game statistics & analysis.

[KB_fan]

From Panthers.com "What we learned"

http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/What-We-Learned-Panthers-vs-Colts/1ee9f425-5663-49cd-b589-d36b4cf6072b

A really nice section with the details of the huge plays made by the secondary:
 

Quote

 

1. COLEMAN WAS A DIFFERENCE MAKER: After being relegated to a reserve role in Kansas City and Philadelphia the last two seasons, safety Kurt Coleman has been solid in his return to a starting role.

Monday, he was spectacular.

"Kurt is making plays. I love it for him," fellow safety Roman Harper said. "He's showing up every week."

Coleman made four huge plays in a game where every stop mattered. After a lost fumble set up Indianapolis just 22 yards away from tying the game midway through the second quarter, Coleman swatted a third-down pass into the end zone out of tight end Coby Fleener's arms to force a field goal. He followed with impressive run stops in third-and-1 situations near midfield on either side of halftime, then capped it with an interception to set up a touchdown that put Carolina ahead 23-6.

"Kurt Coleman played a very big-time game," head coach Ron Rivera said.

2. ENTIRE SECONDARY CONTRIBUTED: The entire secondary, in fact, was busy making plays all night.

"This defensive backfield is a really good group, a really tight group," Harper said. "It's a family, and when someone makes a big play, we cheer for each other."

There was a lot of cheer for.

In addition to Coleman's exploits, the veterans of the group – Harper and cornerback Charles Tillman – set the tone early. Harper recovered a fumble on the Colts' second snap to set up a field goal, then Tillman picked off a pass three plays later to set up a touchdown for an early 10-0 lead.

Harper had 12 tackles, while Coleman and cornerback Bene Benwikere had eight apiece. Harper, Coleman, Tillman and Josh Norman combined for 10 passes defensed.

 

 

[KB_fan]

from the same article: credit to our O line - only 2 sacks in spite of the absence of Kalil and the early injury to Norwell.  Who would have ever thought we'd be hearing Rivera praising the depth of the Oline?!

Quote

3. O-LINE DISPLAYS DEPTH: As if entering the game without four-time Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil wasn't enough, the Panthers lost starting left guard Andrew Norwell early in the first quarter to a hamstring injury.

But the line held it together, allowing just two sacks for 9 yards – including one that didn't even lose yardage – with Chris Scott and Amini Silatolu holding down left guard alongside reserve center Fernando Velasco .

"I thought those guys did what they needed to," Rivera said. "I think Fernando Velasco played a heck of a football game in place of Ryan Kalil. You would much rather have your starters out there, but we are fortunate enough that I think we are deep in some positions, and offensive line is one of them."

 

[KB_fan]

Four pretty big individual mistakes / missed opportunities - and yet we won!

http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Panthers-stick-together-to-salvage-victory/7e6270cd-fb22-4e92-924d-5f3b7e739151

Quite amazing how all 4 who could have been heralded as villains in a loss, came back and had key contributions to the win.  Sweet:

Quote

CHARLOTTE – "It was a series of errors. It was a series of missed opportunities. Sometimes, that’s the way it goes."

Most of the time, those words are uttered in a losing locker room.

Instead, tight end Greg Olsen stood at his locker breathing heavy sighs of relief. The Panthers let a 23-6 fourth-quarter lead slip away. But they salvaged the game, eventually claiming a 29-26 victory in overtime.

"Not everything is going to go well," Olsen said. "You have to draw on your experience, keep your head down and keep going."

Four Panthers were forced to move past individual mistakes or missed opportunities to keep that game from ending in defeat.

Kicker Graham Gano missed an extra point. "You’ve got to put those through," he said.

Olsen was called for holding that wiped away a critical conversion on third-and-5. "Tough to swallow," he said.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly couldn’t hang onto a game-sealing interception in the final seconds. "Our day would have been a little less stressful," he said.

Wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr. dropped a game-winning touchdown in overtime. "That was game," he said.

But they all fought back to contribute to yet another win.

Following Ginn’s drop, with Carolina trailing 26-23 in overtime and needing at least a field goal, Olsen hauled in a one-handed 19-yard catch. Ginn then made a contested catch for 12 yards, helping to set up a 42-yard game-tying field goal from Gano.

On the ensuing Colts drive, Kuechly intercepted Andrew Luck at the Indianapolis 39-yard line.

Four plays later, Gano was given the chance for ultimate redemption. A 52-yarder for the win.

 

[KB_fan]

We had 6 penalties which isn't so bad, but Indy only had 2 penalties?!?!?!  Not sure I've ever seen a team with only 2 penalties in a game.  I'm sure it happens, but that's absurd.  (I'll leave to others the debate about ref bias / incompetence).

Panthers Team Stats

Total Net Yards	379
Total Turnovers	3
Penalties Yards	6-55
Time of Possession	33:40

Opponents Team Stats

Total Net Yards	359
Total Turnovers	4
Penalties Yards	2-15
Time of Possession	35:58

[KB_fan]

Interesting comparing our receivers numbers with those of the Colts.  Fairly similar numbers in terms of yards, with each QB throwing to 7 different receivers, but our receivers got those yards on WAY fewer catches.  Cam threw a lot of deep balls.

Cam:  248 yards on 16 passes

Luck:  231 yards on 23 passes

And just love seeing TY Hilton limited to only 1 catch!!!  Way to go J-No!

Panthers Player Stats

Passing	CP/AT	YDS	TD	INT
Cam Newton	16/35	248	2	1

Rushing	ATT	YDS	TD	LG
Jonathan Stewart	24	82	1	14
Cam Newton	10	41	0	11
Corey Brown	1	14	0	14
Fozzy Whittaker	1	3	0	3

Receiving	REC	YDS	TD	LG
Greg Olsen	6	79	1	27
Ted Ginn	2	60	0	48
Corey Brown	3	42	1	23
Mike Tolbert	1	40	0	40
Jerricho Cotchery	2	18	0	13
Devin Funchess	1	8	0	8
Jonathan Stewart	1	1	0	1

Opponents Player Stats

Passing	CP/AT	YDS	TD	INT
Andrew Luck	23/47	231	2	3

Rushing	ATT	YDS	TD	LG
Frank Gore	22	70	0	10
Andrew Luck	6	35	0	11
Ahmad Bradshaw	7	31	0	23

Receiving	REC	YDS	TD	LG
Andre Johnson	4	81	1	30
Griff Whalen	5	48	0	12
Coby Fleener	7	43	1	14
Frank Gore	3	22	0	12
Donte Moncrief	2	18	0	13
T.Y. Hilton	1	15	0	15
Dwayne Allen	1	4	0	4

[KB_fan]

via NFL.com article:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000572122/article/what-we-learned-newton-shines-in-win-luck-stumbles

Stew's stats:

5. Jonathan Stewart's stat lines won't impress anyone, but he has consistently gained extra yards with second and third efforts over the past few weeks. Going back to last season, Stewart has rushed for 1,184 yards over his last 14 games, including the playoffs. Led by Stewart and Newton, the Panthers have rushed for at least 100 yards in a franchise-record 18 consecutive games.

[KB_fan]

Nice article by J. Jones at the Observer with Gano's reflections on the games and how he faced a challenging night - the conditions and going up against one of the games best in Vinatieri (who another writer referred to as a "Panthers-killer of the highest order.")  Yes.  It was sweet to beat Vinatieri and the Colts in a game decided by a FG!

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article42462015.html

Quote

 

Gano missed Carolina’s final point-after attempt wide left, which allowed the Colts to kick a game-tying field goal in regulation to send the game to overtime. He made up for it when he nailed a 52-yarder for the win.

“At the end of regulation, I put my head down and said, ‘Lord, your will be done,’” Gano said. “And I had a calmness come over me. I was hoping for that opportunity.”

Gano didn’t have his best day on Monday night. Five of his seven kickoffs were returned for an average of 30 yards, something he attributed to not trusting the wet ground and not hitting the ball as well as he could have.

He had one field goal of 39 yards and two made PATs before the miss with more than 10 minutes left in regulation.

It was Gano’s second miss of the season in the first year where the PAT has been moved back to a 33-yard kick.

“I don’t even view it as a PAT anymore; I don’t think any kicker does,” Gano said. “It’s just a field goal. It is a shorter field goal, I should make them all, but with the conditions out there today things happen.”

Gano said he had to forget about the miss immediately so that he could focus on the ensuing kickoff.

[...]

The line between being a goat and being one of the game’s heroes is thin. It’s especially thin for kickers. And it’s almost invisible when you’re Gano going against Adam Vinatieri, possibly the greatest (and certainly the most clutch) field-goal kicker of a generation.

[...]

When Gano saw the 42-year-old Vinatieri make a 50-yard field goal in overtime, he knew he would likely have to match.

He said the adrenaline was pumping on the first try, a 42-yarder with 7:50 remaining in the overtime period to tie the game.

On the final kick, Gano initially thought it would be from 53 yards and he started patting the ground down. Then he noticed long snapper J.J. Jansen was a yard farther ahead and didn’t have much time to pat down the ground for a 52-yard kick.

Gano got one pat with his foot and he was backing up for the kick. Seconds later, it was through for the win.

Gano said he’s been waiting for a moment like this with the Panthers. But he still hadn’t processed what had transpired by 12:42 a.m. He was still in his uniform pants and undershirt trying to contextualize everything.

Game-winning kick, in overtime, against the Colts, in primetine, after missing a costly PAT.

After the game, Rivera did his usual post-game trip around the locker room. He started with the specialists.

“Nice snap,” he said to Jansen.

“Nice hold,” Rivera said to holder Brad Nortman.

“Great finish,” the coach said to Gano as he shook his hand.

“Thanks, Coach,” Gano replied.

 

 

 

[redbuddha]

Did anyone see the stat that we are 3rd worst in the league, in drives without a first down? I think it was 39%

[shaka]

Something that stands out looking at the box score.  It seems like Cam really trusts Ted Ginn despite the drops.  Ten targets but only two receptions.  If he just pulls in one or two more catches he ends up:

1. Sealing the game
2. Putting together a pretty impressive stat line.  Easily could (should) have been 5 catches for 150 and TD
3. Begin putting to bed the rumor that he's a return specialist turned mediocre receiver

Instead we get two receptions on ten targets.  Let's hope Ricky has him on the juggs machine all week.  

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	TGTS
Ted Ginn Jr.	2	60	30.0	0	48	10

[DaveThePanther2008]

2 hours ago, KB_fan said:

I'm exhausted.  Only 2 hours of sleep due to staying up until 6 a.m. local time to watch the game...  so I may not post much today.  Need a gallon of coffee and then I have to get back to work on a big report due Friday.

But here's a thread to post game statistics & analysis.

I know the feeling.  I had to set my alarm for 425am.  Ended up going to the morning meeting and catching the tying and winning FG from Gano.

it wasn't a stat friendly game.  Between the wet field and losing Norwell we struggled but Cam, as always, pulls it out.

[KB_fan]

50 minutes ago, redbuddha said:

Did anyone see the stat that we are 3rd worst in the league, in drives without a first down? I think it was 39%

This doesn't ring a bell, but it's something I can try to look into further later.  I think I know where I can find such stats, or at least something close.

[KB_fan]

PFF has their brief grades and highlights of the Panthers - Colts game posted.

Glad to see Coleman & Tillman getting recognition for great games.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/11/03/ind-car-grades-kuechly-newton-lead-panthers-to-7-0/

Here are the top takeaways and highest-graded players from the Panthers’ 29-26 overtime victory over the Colts:

Carolina Panthers

– Having missed three games at the start of the season, Luke Kuechly (+6.5) has come back in sublime form, adding to that last night with his highest single-game grade since his rookie season (+7.0 against Oakland in 2012). Snagging that interception at the end of regulation would have capped his game perfectly, after tying his season-high with eight stops, adding a pass defense, and his overtime interception off Roman Harper’s deflection to help drive the Panthers to victory.

– Driving the offense was quarterback Cam Newton (+4.0). While he didn’t complete a high percentage of passes, he made some spectacular throws on the plays that he did put on the money. That included a drop by Ted Ginn (-0.5) in overtime for what would have been a worthy game-winner; but he wasn’t put off by that, coming back on the very next play with an excellent pass to Greg Olsen (+1.6 receiving) in tight coverage on a corner route to help maintain the Panthers’ unbeaten start.

– The Panthers’ defense is littered with veteran players, and one of their standouts last night was Charles Tillman (+2.4), who has been outshone by the emerging CB Josh Norman (+1.7) for much of the season. Targeted seven times, Tillman surrendered three catches for 44 yards while getting his hands to two passes, breaking one up, and stealing the first interception from Andrew Luck early in the game on a bad misread by the Colts’ QB, as Tillman sank a little deeper into his zone late on to come up with the turnover.

Top performers:

MLB Luke Kuechly (+6.5)

S Roman Harper (+4.2)

S Kurt Coleman (+4.2)

QB Cam Newton (+4.0)

CB Charles Tillman (+2.4)

 

[KB_fan]

And then there's this about Andrew Luck at PFF.  Ouch.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/11/03/andrew-luck-ranks-dead-last-among-qbs-this-season/

Andrew Luck ranks dead last among QBs this season

Through Week 8, the Colts' Andrew Luck owns our lowest overall QB grade, and worst passing grade.