So, what should we make of who the Carolina Panthers rolled out in what was probably their most disappointing loss of the season?
Let’s go over the biggest takeaways from the team’s Week 9 snap counts against the Indianapolis Colts.
Still a few Miles behind
The bad news for Miles Sanders is that he took another clear backseat to Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard recorded 16 carries and six targets over 46 snaps while Sanders went for six carries and five targets over 18 snaps.
But the good news for Sanders is that he had his most encouraging showing of the season. The fifth-year back took those six carries for 39 yards, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt, and reeled in three of those five looks for 22 yards.
Perhaps Sanders, especially on a short week, will see more of a share alongside Hubbard and close that huge gap.
No breakout game
Signs were pointing to a breakout game for rookie wideout Jonathan Mingo. The offense looked relatively solid a week earlier under new play-caller Thomas Brown, quarterback Bryce Young was coming off his most impressive outing of the campaign and the Colts were fielding a soft zone defense that allowed 38.0 points per game over three straight losses.
But we didn’t get much from the second-round pick. Mingo played in all but one of the offensive snaps (70 out of 71) and turned that into one reception for five yards over four targets.
The entire offense was thrown off. Heck, even Adam Thielen had a stinker with five catches for 29 yards. So, although disappointing, Mingo’s output is what it was.
His part will go on
Starting cornerback CJ Henderson exited in the second quarter due to a concussion, giving way to one heck of a relief outing from Dicaprio Bootle.
The 26-year-old got his first looks on defense this season, registering 46 snaps in place of Henderson. He didn’t waste them either—as Bootle, who allowed just 15 yards on four catches, was given the Panthers’ highest Pro Football Focus grade of the week (80.4).
If Henderson is a no-go for Thursday, and it’s rather likely that he is, Bootle may be in line for some more extended playing time.
