Here’s a sentence you probably didn’t plan on reading this season: The Carolina Panthers are now 3-1 with Sam Darnold starting under center and are just two wins away from the NFC South crown.
The fifth-year quarterback was steady once again in his latest win, where he helped pace the Panthers to a 37-23 upset over the Detroit Lions. He and the offense just seemed to overwhelm the white-hot visitors throughout the afternoon—setting franchise records in total yards and rushing yards for a single game.
Oh, and Darnold, who executed the offensive game plan rather well, wasn’t left out of the stat party either. He completed 15 of his 22 attempts for a season-high 250 yards and a touchdown, which translated into his best passer rating ever as a Panther (121.4), while adding a rushing score as well.
This Sunday, he will likely need to be just as good against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—who are still stacked with talent on both on offense and defense despite their disappointing campaign. Although they did it against a third-string quarterback, the Bucs were able to lock down the Arizona Cardinals and Trace McSorley in a tough defensive win last week—and if offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo doesn’t trust Darnold and use him creatively, a similar result could happen to the Panthers.
As for Darnold himself, he will need to maintain his current run of confident and secure football—as he hasn’t recorded a single turnover in any of four outings. He has been particularly good about knowing when to throw the rock away and where to put deep balls to avoid costly turnovers—something that almost spoiled his career with the Panthers last year.
His recent meshing with McAdoo is a promising sign that more creative play-calling will be coming in what is essentially a playoff matchup for Carolina. And if he can execute and continue his career revival, the Panthers have an excellent shot of taking home the division crown under possible rebirth for Darnold.
Week 17 projection for Darnold: 19-of-25, 220 passing yards, two total touchdowns
