Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers: Grades Against Arizona Cardinals

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 2:05 a.m. ET

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Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) winces after almost making the goal line tackled by Arizona Cardinals middle linebacker Kevin Minter (51) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Panthers brought their four-game losing streak to an end by defeating the Arizona Cardinals, 30-20.

The Carolina Panthers found a way to snap their four-game losing streak as they defeated the visiting Arizona Cardinals with the score of 30 to 20. This game may have put a sudden stop on the downward spiral that is the Panthers 2016 campaign as the team brought to light much of the strength that preceded them at the start of the year. Offensively, the group flexed the power that experts predicted, while the defense found a way to hold Arizona in check for extended periods of time.

For the second time this season the Panthers looked like a team that could be a problem to much of the opposition throughout the NFL. In the past the Panthers have used one big win to kick off a run into the post season. The question now becomes whether or not the Panthers can continue to play to this level week in and week out.

This weekly piece is a review of how well the Panthers played in key areas of the game that include: passing game, running game, wide receivers, defensive unit, special teams and overall play. Each category is ranked in the same letter fashion that is akin to school work. These grades also come with suggestions to correct the issues that are pointed out.

Onto the grades.

Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) passes the ball during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Passing Game Grade: C+

2015 NFL MVP, Cam Newton, came into this season riding a major wave of success and growing expectations. Six games into the season the Panthers are 2-5 and many are pointing towards Newton as one of the main reasons why this year has been so inconsistent. In a game in which the Panthers won, Newton didn’t have a stellar outing.

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Instead he looked like somewhat of a game manager. That isn’t always a bad position. However, it’s not what is expected of a franchise quarterback like Cam Newton.

Newton finished the day with 212 yards passing, going 14-of-27. He ended the night with a QBR of 74.7 and a QB Rating of 78. The Cardinals defense was able to bring him down once for a four-yard loss. Newton connected with seven different receivers during the game to take advantage of the many options that are available through the air.

While Newton didn’t make any mistakes to put the Panthers in a tough position, he also didn’t have any huge plays to put this team over the top. Newton is the driving force behind this offense, but he looked like an individual playing his role against Arizona.

Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) runs towards the goal line as Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell (93) defends during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina won 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Running Game Grade: A

Carolina’s running game continued to perform very well during this outing. As a unit, the team amassed 141 total yards and two touchdowns on 36 attempts. Jonathan Stewart led the way with 95 yards and both of the Panthers scores. Cam Newton added to the cause with 43 yards of his own.

Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker rounded out the running backs with two and one yard, respectively. The Panthers continue to use a committee to move the ball on the ground, but this was an outing in which Stewart showed that he can still carry majority of the load.

The Panthers running game has been the backbone of this offense for the last few seasons. One huge question coming into this year was whether or not the Panthers offensive line would be able to be of much service in accordance with how the Panthers play. Outings such as this show that Carolina is still a run-first team that can control the clock.

The time-of-possession in this game was close between the two organizations, but Carolina leveraged the running attack into long drives when it counted the most. Even with all the problems plaguing this team through much of 2016, the run game has consistently performed well this season.

Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) tries to elude Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers Grade: B

The Panthers came into the 2016 season riding the narrative that this team has a wealth of options through the air. The combination of Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess and Greg Olsen is enough to scare any group standing across from them. Mixing in Corey Brown, Ted Ginn Jr. and others makes this unit that much more of a problem. Unfortunately, injuries to Newton and an inability to consistently get everyone involved have kept this team from flexing its full strength.

Against the Cardinals the Panthers receivers looked very strong in a variety of ways. Benjamin’s two catches for 73 yards proved that he still has the big play ability. Ginn added 53 yards on five receptions for his biggest outing at this point in the year. Funchess was the next big earner with 38 yards on three catches. Stewart, Olsen, Whittaker and Brown also had receptions on the afternoon.

This was a strong showing for the offense through the air, but still falls a bit short of what was expected from such a powerful unit. It will be interesting to see how this team responds to the win and uses this to push their performance in the weeks to come.

Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis (58) scores a touchdown as middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) celebrates in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Defense Grade: B

The Carolina defense played like they came in with a game plan to hit Carson Palmer early and often. At the end of the night, the group put Palmer down for eight sacks that totaled 47 yards loss. Daryl Worley, Leonard Johnson, Luke Kuechly, Kawann Short and Charles Johnson each had one sack on the day. It was Star Lotulelei that was the star on the defensive line as he took Palmer down three separate times. The defensive backfield also gave Palmer problems as deflected four passes and took away an interception.

The Cardinals rushing game was held to only 24 yards, but they had a big day passing with 363 total yards through the air.

The defense looked their best early in the game, when they held the Cardinals in check and allowed the offense to get out to a 24-0 lead. However, the Cardinals would be able to come back and close the game before dropping in the final. This is a continuing problem from last year as Carolina would find themselves struggling to hold onto a lead late in games. While this game may not have been as close as the score represents, the fact that the Cardinals were able to put together a late run is something worthy of note.

Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano (9) reacts after missing an extra point during the fourth quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Panthers 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams Grade: A

Graham Gano returned to his perfect ways during this game. He converted three extra-point attempts and three field goals to go a perfect, 6-of-6. Gano’s been a major issue these last few games as he’s been very inconsistent from varying distances. In six games, this is the third time he’s been able to convert every opportunity to score. While that may seem like a lot to ask, having an unreliable kicker is a problem that none of the teams in the NFL want to have.

Andy Lee continued to perform well as he averaged 52.3 yards on three attempts. Lee has looked very good this year since joining the team in the final moments of the preseason. He’s showing his worth as the right choice to fill this whole on the roster.

The kick return team didn’t have much to build upon during this game. Joe Webb had the longest return with 37 yards on a kickoff return. Ted Ginn Jr. had two attempts of his own, but they both resulted in zero yards. With the amount of points that the Panthers are giving to opposing offenses, they need to find a way to get more ample output from both aspects of their return game.

Oct 30, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera looks at a replay during the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Overall Play Grade: B

This is the type of game that can help the Panthers turn around their season. They sit in the No. 4 slot in the NFC South, but have been here before. Back in 2014 the Panthers found a way to win a game that they controlled pretty handily. While a win is always a reason to celebrate; every outing leaves the team with areas in which they could improve.

Right now, the biggest area is how well Newton played in this game and what type of performances he will put forth when more of the load is back on his shoulders.

Overall, the Panthers performed well against the Cardinals. The Cardinals were held to converting only 4-of-12 third-down conversions. Other than how well the Panthers held the Cardinals running game in check; the rest of this performance was considered pretty “standard” by any use of the word.

Carolina needs to find a way to translate this win into the momentum needed to turn around the season. It’s difficult to say whether or not this group has the ability to make a postseason run, but the time to get started is right this moment. The rest of the season depends on it.

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