The Carolina Panthers are starting to settle in to their sweet spot under interim head coach Steve Wilks. The competitiveness is always present, the success is more frequent and the roles of the players are becoming more defined.
That was evident in their snap counts throughout the Week 12 win over the Denver Broncos, where we have three standouts from each phase of the ball.
Big boy ball
We’re now living in a world where Carolina’s offensive line is actually good. And they also have a few extra bodies—so why not use them?
That’s exactly what Wilks and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo have been doing—as backups Cameron Erving and Cade Mays are being utilized in bunch and overload formations. With the Panthers looking to (really) establish the run—the former was in for 23 plays and the latter, primarily as a fullback, for six.
They helped contribute to a 183-yard rushing performance.
More than just a special teams player
Franklin Jr. has earned high praise for his work on special teams this season. But after starting safety Xavier Woods went down early, he’d step up into an extended role on defense.
The third-year veteran chalked up a season-high 36 defensive snaps, with 29 coming in coverage. He was targeted three times, allowing one catch for a loss of three yards.
His efforts even led to a top-five overall grade amongst all Panthers defenders from Pro Football Focus.
A little Shi
With their usual punt returner in Shi Smith coming off an illness, Wilks told reporters on Monday that he wanted to lighten the second-year wideout’s load. So, in his place for much of the game was running back Raheem Blackshear.
While Blackshear was actually quite solid, averaging 8.8 yards over five takes with a long of 21 yards, he did muff an attempt that led to Denver’s first three points of the contest. Wilks said Smith, who came in for the final return, will resume the duties in Week 14.
