The Carolina Panthers’ trip to New Orleans this weekend resulted in yet another loss. But there were some players who earned themselves some beads for their Sunday outings.
Here are the studs and duds from Week 14’s 28-6 loss to the Saints:
Studs: RBs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders
The offense continued to drown, but it wasn’t because of their backfield.
Hubbard, who registered a career-high 25 carries last week, racked up 23 more for 87 yards while Sanders looked his best with 74 yards of his own on just 10 totes. They led a season-high output of 204 rushing yards for the Panthers.
Dud: OC Thomas Brown
Despite that success on the ground, Brown opted for some rather questionable calls on a few key short-yardage situations.
The first came in the third quarter—when the Panthers, from the Saints’ 1-yard line, lined up out of a shotgun formation. Sanders was brought down for a loss on the play—helping give way to a 9-yard sack on the following snap, an incompletion on the next and, ultimately, three points rather than a simple 1-yard touchdown run.
The second came in the fourth, when they needed one more yard again. This time, Young couldn’t connect with running back Raheem Blackshear—who slipped on his route.
While the latter would’ve resulted in a completion and a first down had Blackshear not fell, Brown abandoned what was working for what’s been the least effective passing game in football.
Stud: WR Adam Thielen
At least someone got going through the air.
Thielen entered Week 14 on a rough two-game stretch, where he amassed all of 27 receiving yards. But he came back to life on Sunday, reeling in a game-high 74 yards on five grabs.
Duds: WRs not named Adam Thielen
The dropsies hit hard for the rest of the receiving room, with DJ Chark feeling it most. He caught just two balls for 26 yards and could’ve had a lot more if he looked some balls in.
Jonathan Mingo, who chalked up just 22 yards, was the only wide receiver with a catch outside of Thielen and Chark.
Stud: DT Derrick Brown
We take a break from slagging the offense to bring Brown his weekly flowers.
The fourth-year defender turned in his most productive game of what’s been a stellar career year, as he notched a team-high 10 tackles and an interception of quarterback Derek Carr.
Dud: QB Bryce Young
Ok, we’re back on offense.
Young didn’t get much help, but he didn’t give a great account of himself either. He completed a season-low 36.1 percent of his passes for 137 yards.
