Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Anthony Rizzuti

Top takeaways from Panthers’ snap counts in Week 11 loss to Cowboys

We seem to be getting the same ol’ story with these 2023 Carolina Panthers, who put forth another anemic offensive performance in another loss on Sunday. But do the snap counts tell us anything different?

Here are our biggest takeaways from Week 11’s totals:

A dynamic duo

David Jensen/Getty Images

The gap between running backs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders is continuing to close. Sunday saw the former on the field for 29 snaps and latter for 27.

That two-play difference is a far cry from what we’ve seen in recent weeks amidst Sanders’ struggles. He was out-snapped by Hubbard 45 to 12 in Week 8, 46 to 18 in Week 9 and 30 to 23 in Week 10.

Both looked solid in their near-equal timeshare as well, with Hubbard rushing for 57 yards on 10 carries and Sanders for 50 on 11. Whether it was their rhythm, a dominant offensive trench or a little of both—this was, by far, the most efficient this backfield duo looked all season.

Chark in troubled waters?

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Wide receiver DJ Chark returned after missing the team’s prior contest with an elbow injury. You couldn’t, however, tell by looking at the box score.

Chark registered 44 snaps, accounting for 75 percent of the offense’s presence. But he also registered as many targets on the day as Greg Olsen did.

Perhaps being as effective as a broadcaster who hasn’t played in three years speaks to the disappointing season for Chark and the Panthers offense as a whole. Once thought to be a big-play threat, he’s now at 17 receptions, 229 yards and three scores through eight games.

King of the Hill

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Cornerback Troy Hill, in what may have been the defense’s toughest test to date, showed out.

The ninth-year vet played in 56 defensive snaps, his second-highest mark of the season. He allowed six receptions for 35 yards on nine targets and chalked up four stops.

Although the Panthers may be getting closer to having Jaycee Horn and CJ Henderson back, Hill made the case for some extra playing time moving forward.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.