It wasn’t too cold for the Carolina Panthers to flex their muscles in Week 16.
Here are the studs and (very few) duds from the huge 37-23 win over the Detroit Lions.
Studs: RBs D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard
We saw all kinds of records and career-highs on Saturday afternoon thanks to this dynamic duo.
Foreman set a new personal mark with 165 rushing yards and a touchdown off 21 carries. Hubbard also achieved his own best, running for 125 yards of his own on just 12 attempts.
Their efforts led the way for a 320-yard rushing performance, the most for a single game in franchise history.
Stud: Sam Darnold
Darnold’s efficiency allowed for that dominant ground game to take place. He completed 15 of his 22 throws for a season-high 250 yards, a touchdown and a 121.4 passer rating—the best of his Carolina career. Oh, he even rushed for a score too.)
The fifth-year quarterback has now gone through each of his four starts this season—games in which the Panthers are 3-1—without committing a turnover.
Studs: Panthers offensive line
And the offensive line allowed both that ground game and Darnold to operate.
Carolina’s hog mollies constantly opened holes for their backs and allowed zero hits of Darnold, which was especially impressive given how hot the Lions defense was coming in. Their work was the driving force behind a franchise record 570 total yards.
Stud: WR DJ Moore
Before the Panthers hit a franchise record in total yards for an entire game, they hit one for an entire first half—amassing 364 of them over the first 30 minutes of play. And surprisingly enough, Moore didn’t have a single one of those.
He did, though, show up strong in the second half—recording a team-high 83 yards and a score on five grabs.
Dud: WR Shi Smith
We had to find someone, and it’s Smith.
The second-year wideout continues to look uncomfortable returning punts, as he muffed an attempt at the beginning of the second half. Fortunately, cornerback CJ Henderson was there to jump on the loose ball.
Smith’s struggles make the impending return of three-time Pro Bowl returner Andre Roberts even more important.
Dud: Jaycee Horn's luck
Not a conventional “dud” so to speak, but Horn’s wrist injury was an absolute bummer in what was otherwise a festive afternoon.
After tackling Josh Reynolds in the fourth quarter, the second-year cornerback clutched his wrist and was subsequently carted off to the locker room. And according to FOX Charlotte’s Will Kunkel, it’s likely a break for Horn.
This would, pending confirmation from upcoming testing, probably end his phenomenal 2022 campaign.
Stud: DE Brian Burns
Speaking of phenomenal 2022 campaigns, Burns added to his.
The electric pass rusher showed exactly why he’s headed to Las Vegas for a second straight Pro Bowl start, racking up a pair of sacks on Lions quarterback Jared Goff. He’s now increased his career-high to 12.5 sacks.
Stud: K Eddy Piñeiro
Eddy is still steady.
Piñeiro booted through all three of his field goals and all four of his extra points. He’s now made 31 of his 33 field goals (94.0 percent) and 26 of his 28 extra points (92.9 percent) on the season.
