Carolina Panthers

Panthers Report Card: Week 14 vs. Chargers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Carolina Panthers bounced back with a big win against the San Diego Chargers at home on Sunday and the report card is full of positive marks.

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) runs as guard Andrew Norwell (68) blocks and San Diego Chargers inside linebacker Denzel Perryman (52) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK

C+The Panthers’ offense made plenty of solid plays throughout the game on Sunday and even though he wasn’t perfect, Cam Newton did play a part in at least a few of them. Overall, Newton had another subpar day. He completed just 10 of 27 passes on the day, giving him his third straight game with a completion percentage below 50 percent, and a meager 160 yards with a bad interception in the red zone. Newton did have one impressive score to Devin Funchess and made more than a few plays with his feet to pick up 31 yards. The Panthers’ quarterback had trouble finding his receivers in this one, although they didn’t help him much, but even in yet another lackluster performance he was able to do enough to secure Carolina the win.Next: RUNNING BACK

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) jumps up for a touchdown in the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACK

BWhile Newton and the passing game struggled to do much of anything in this one, Jonathan Stewart had himself a solid performance. Stewart rushed 24 times for 66 yards including one leaping touchdown run in the first quarter – something of a signature move this season. Stewart’s day should be taken with a slight grain of salt, as 20 of his 66 yards came on just one run but scoring one of the Panthers’ two touchdowns and being the primary contributor to the team’s 126 rushing yards makes it a positive day.Next: WIDE RECEIVER & TIGHT END

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess (17) catches a touchdown as San Diego Chargers cornerback Trevor Williams (42) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVER & TIGHT END

B-For a select few Carolina Panthers pass catchers it was a solid day and for a few others, not so much. We’ll start with the good. Panthers’ top target Greg Olsen had a big day through the air accounting for over half of Newton’s total passing yards and coming up with multiple big receptions for 87 yards – just 93 yards shy of his third straight 1,000-yard season. Second year wide receiver Devin Funchess, who hasn’t had the sophomore campaign he and others had hoped for, made the most of his opportunities catching two passes for 33 yards and a score after coming back from a mouth injury. The other Carolina pass catchers weren’t so successful however as the trio of Kelvin Benjamin, Ted Ginn Jr. and Philly Brown caught just four passes for 40 yards. Benjamin had a particularly rough outing, getting benched at one point and having questions asked about his lack of effort on multiple plays.Next: OFFENSIVE LINE

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive guard Tyler Larsen (69) prepares to hike the ball in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

OFFENSIVE LINE

A-The makeshift crew that is the Carolina offensive line had yet another strong outing this week. While having a bounce back performance in the rushing department this group paved the way for Stewart, Newton and company to pick up 126 yards on the ground. They also helped keep Newton clean in the pocket giving up just two sacks on the day and only four total QB hits. This unit will likely end the season as the starting five and so far they’ve looked solid and impressive.Next: DEFENSIVE LINE

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) gets sacked by Carolina Panthers defensive end Mario Addison (97) for a safety in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Chargers 28-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE LINE

AIt was a huge day for the Panthers defense as a whole and the defensive line played a massive role in that. In his return from injury, sack leader Mario Addison made his presence felt as he recorded a sack on Philip Rivers in the end zone for a safety. Kawann Short, playing some defensive end, recorded two sacks and Ryan Delaire added one to help the Panthers defense become the league leader in sacks and hold Rivers and the Chargers offense to just 278 yards of total offense.Next: LINEBACKER

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) gets tackled by Carolina Panthers outside linebacker A.J. Klein (56) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Chargers 28-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

LINEBACKER

A+The Carolina linebacking crew, originally believed to be receiving a boost with the return of Luke Kuechly, were forced to play at least one more game without him. He was ruled inactive prior to kickoff but they did just fine for themselves. Kuechly’s replacement, A.J. Klein, was tremendous for the defense racking up seven tackles and a sack. Shaq Thompson had a day as well recording his first career interception and seven tackles of his own, while Thomas Davis notched five.Next: SECONDARY

Dec 11, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers strong safety Kurt Coleman (20) intercepts a pass in the fourth quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers defeated the Chargers 28-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

SECONDARY

A+A secondary that’s been improving week after week had a terrific showing on Sunday. Rookie corner Daryl Worley continued his tackling-machine ways leading the team with 10 while also logging his first career interception. Kurt Coleman, back from a one week absence, also had a pick of Rivers to go with three pass deflections and eight total tackles. Overall, the unit held Rivers and the San Diego passing attack to just 236 yards through the air in what was certainly one of their best performances to date and a promising sign of things to come.Next: SPECIAL TEAMS

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano (9) against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl 50 at Levi

SPECIAL TEAMS

*All stats and info via ESPN.com