Since the Carolina Panthers showed out on defense against the Baltimore Ravens, let’s put a snap-count spotlight on their Week 11 performance.
So, in an all-defense edition, here are the top takeaways from Sunday’s playing time.
Granite Chinn
Jeremy Chinn’s status for Week 11 wasn’t even a sure thing less than 24 before kickoff. Yet, he was every bit of that presence we’ve come to know.
In his first outing back from a six-game absence, the third-year safety played every single one of Carolina’s 69 defensive downs. He used those chances to stack a team-high 10 tackles, tying linebacker Frankie Luvu and cornerback CJ Henderson.
Save for Week 4, where he made an early exit due to his hamstring injury, Chinn has played in 100 percent of the defense’s snaps every time out this season.
Action post-Jackson
With Donte Jackson done for the season, there was an expectation that interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb would have to call on a few of his other corners to fill the void—with Keith Taylor Jr. and Tae Hayes chief among them. But that wasn’t the case.
Taylor Jr. played just eight snaps, with seven coming in coverage. Hayes did not hit the field.
The Panthers, rather, let starters Jaycee Horn (68) and CJ Henderson (69) do much of the work on the outside. Plus, with primary nickel defender Myles Hartsfield out, they had Chinn pick up much of the work from the slot with 41 snaps on the inside.
Rookies get work
For the second consecutive week, linebacker Damien Wilson saw zero defensive snaps. As a result, fourth-round pick Brandon Smith chalked up some burn in the middle of the defense.
Smith played in a career-high 24 snaps, totaling three tackles in his new opportunity. Fellow rookie Amaré Barno also took advantage of his chance, recording a tackle for a loss over his three looks.
