Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers Review | PFF Grade Release Show

Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers Review | PFF Grade Release Show

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I think that every single person that you could have asked last week before this week started would have told you, “Yeah, the Rams are the best team in football.” how they are playing, how dominant they have been, and the Panthers take them down 31 to 28 as was the final score in this one. The top five graded players that we had for the Carolina Panthers is the winners in this game. Wide receiver Jaylen Coker at the top of the list with an 865. Hatback Chuba Hubard with an 82-2. All sorts of action in the game plan as a runner and a receiver. Uh quarterback Mike Jackson with a 75.0. Center Austin Corbett with a 73.1. And then offensive tackle Taylor Motton with a 71.9. Bryce Young in this game and we’ll talk plenty about Bryce Young an 83.3. On the Ram side of things, running back Blake Cororm was at the top of their list with the 91.4, defensive tackle Braden Fisk an 850. Edge rusher Byron Young with an 84.5. Offensive tackle Warren McClennon Jr. an 84.0. And then wide receiver Dvonte Adams an 83.2. Matthew Stafford in this game a 54.2. And I mentioned how, you know, if you asked people heading into the week who their number one team in the NFL was, it was the Los Angeles Rams. Well, we even had that on this show here. And Dalton, I want to go back to uh your preview of this game to see what you had to say and then we’ll talk about what uh what actually ended up happening here. If we have that clip from the preview show from last week, I just think that they’re going to control the game because it goes too easily into what they like to do. Yeah, I’m with you. Um, I I I don’t like calling out blowouts generally either here or on the college show because I’m always trying to find ways that both teams can win, but I’m having a hard time finding a way the Panthers can win this game. Even at home, I I mean, you know, their last home game against the Saints, it didn’t look great either. Um, I, you know, I look at this game, I have a 35-10 Rams. I I think this could be a runaway. I All right, I did you dirty there. I also said that this game was going to be a blowout for the Los Angeles Rams. It’s the exact reason I try not to call out blowouts. I get away with it sometimes on the college show cuz it could be a wider but yeah no this is um this is one and I can’t imagine many people outside of Carolina had them winning this game but they are also right now maybe the hardest team in football to figure out and it’s for this very reason because you just have no idea week to week what they’re going to look like. So how did it happen? You said in the clip and again I was right there with you. I also thought this was going to be a blowout from the Los Angeles Rams. I think a lot of people did to your point. How did this happen? You said, “I can’t see a way that the Panthers win this game.” Well, they did. So, what was the way? What ended up happening? The The first lesson here is that they made all of the biggest plays in all of the biggest moments. That starts with the turnover margin. You win. I don’t care who you’re playing in the NFL. If you win the turnover margin three to nothing, you can win that football game. Derek Brown tips a pass as the Rams are driving into the Panthers red zone and it’s intercepted. Right. Mike Jackson with the pick six. That really felt like a big moment of, okay, the Panthers are really in this game. And then you get the Derek Brown strip sack that’s recovered by DJ Wanom as the Rams are trying to either tie or go ahead again late in the fourth quarter. Those plays and then you look at, you know, just individually Bryce Young, there’s a big conversation to be had about him, but the fourth and two, the game-winning touchdown to Tedo McMillan. I I don’t think I’ve seen many better throws this season than that individual throw. Do do you remember when they played the Falcons and he had the big game against the Falcons when we talked about those two consecutive big time throws early in the third quarter and there was the first one on that same exact concept. You had the two deep crossers. He looks off the free safety. He makes the big throw into man-to-man coverage. Canales went to the same exact concept. That was the throw that opened up the second half of that Falcons game and Bryce got raging hot from there. That was the same exact concept from a different formation that the Panthers used for this game-winning touchdown. And if we when you look at when Bryce released that ball, McMillan was not open. No, he was not. And if he leads him directly east and west towards the sideline, that’s probably not complete. The fact that he had the idea to lead him over the top and lead McMillan over the top like that, one of the best probably one of the five best throws I’ve seen all season. But that just speaks to me that a in the second half especially, they made the biggest plays in the biggest moments of this game cuz the Rams for 95% of it, they still played really well. You look on both sides, they were the higher graded team on both sides of this of the ball. It’s just the three turnovers and then the Panthers did a really nice job. I thought Canales and Young are kind of combined as my most impressive guys cuz Dave Canales when you’re playing again a front seven a defensive line like this. You have to find ways around it and you have to be really physical up front. Now, we mentioned in the preview that if there was one ray of hope here, it’s that the Panthers offensive line at least stands a chance. just a top 10 offensive line in the league. And they were physical, especially in the second half of this game, controlling the clock and limiting the Rams possessions, but also, you know, I think about a play like the swing screen to Chuba Hubard for the touchdown, right? Just get the ball out to the perimeter. Don’t let this defensive line beat you. Don’t make Bryce Young stand back in the pocket for three, three and a half seconds because you’re not going to have that much time. I think Canales did a great job of coaching this team and having a game plan for this exact defense and just keeping this team steady through I I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team oscillate up and down the way that this Panther team does. Any given week they can look like the worst team in football and yet they’re one of just two teams along with the Eagles that’s beaten both the Rams and the Packers, right? I’m at I’m so glad they’re on a by-week this coming week so I don’t have to pick another Panther game because look, I don’t get stressed out much. I’ I’ve seen a lot I’ve seen a lot of weird in 30 31 years here. I’m so glad the Panthers stress me out. I’m so glad you guys are on a by-week this week. Great win. I’m glad I get a week off from picking their games because I have no idea what’s coming next. It’s funny that you mentioned that. that a good friend of the show, Benjamin Solak, had a had a tweet after the game in which he actually showed on paper what the Carolina Panthers have been doing over the last couple of weeks this season. He says, “Explain the Panthers last seven games to me like I’m five. What are we supposed to do with this? You have the win over the Jets. You have a blowout loss against the Buffalo Bills 40 to9. You then go into Green Bay and you beat the Packers. You then lose to the Saints at home when you were at home. You destroy the Falcons earlier in the season and then you beat them again in Atlanta this time. We mentioned how well Bryce Young played in that game. You looked completely incompetent across the country against the San Francisco 49ers 20 to9 as a final score there. And then you beat the Los Angeles Rams 31 to 28. it. To be honest though, I it’s it’s funny to look at and it’s it’s it’s sort of funny to it’s hard to figure out, but in reality, it’s not hard to figure out. If Bryce Young is playing confidently, this team wins football games. And it’s the games that he’s not that they look totally lost. It is it is such a a cliche and is such the obvious thing to say, but no team in the NFL goes more as their quarterback goes than Carolina because you when you when you look at Carolina independent of Bryce Young, you mentioned they have a top 10 offensive line in the NFL. I would agree with you with Rico Dao and with Chuba Hubard, especially the way that they got Chuba Hubard involved in the offense this week. Those guys were very complimentary of how who they were as as a one-two rushing duo. Really like that group. the receivers when you’re throwing to Tetro McMillan, you feel pretty good about it. Jaylen Coker coming back from injury now, you feel pretty confidently with him. Uh you obviously have multiple tight ends that they’ve gotten involved at different points of the year. You feel okay about the pass catches you’re throwing to. You really do. On the defensive side of the football, you got young guys who are still progressing. Derrick Brown’s having an allp pro bowl type of a season. The linebacker levels a bit of an issue for them, but you look at the last couple of weeks, how well JC Horn and Mike Jackson have played for them. the secondary a little bit up and down, but they have the ability to play pretty well. This is a good football team. Like Carolina has the ability to be a good football team. And when you throw a confident Bryce Young into that mix of those names I just mentioned, he be pretty good NFL teams and they proven that. But when Bryce is hesitant, that’s when you have the issues. I remember watching the the the Niners game on Monday Night Football last week and Bryce just looked tense. He he he looked like he he felt like he had too much on his shoulders in that game. I I I even remember watching that game and even some of the plays where he he ended up becoming a a runner and scrambling and picking up some yards like he just he wasn’t confident in it. He wasn’t confident to like to immediately become a runner to take the yards that was right in front of him. He kept trying to keep his eyes downfield. No, no, no. I’ve been told that I have to pass. Like I have to I people have told me and I’ve listened to this. They’re like, “Okay, we’ve got to get Bryce more involved when it comes to the intermediate and deep passing. I’ve got to keep my eyes downfield. I can’t take off.” I watched in this game, I think it was the first quarter in this game. He has he has a spot where all of his receivers are to his right and and they’re they’re running sort of like this crossfield concepts, but he immediately recognizes, okay, I’m going to roll out situation. I have 10 yards that I could pick up right here. He tucks the ball immediately the way that you would want him to. He was and and it’s funny, Dalton, because in this game it was cold. It was rainy. It was windy. I mean, the conditions weren’t what you wanted them to be. And he just looked as confident as possible. And you’re playing the darn Rams. And you’re playing the Rams. And the confidence that he played with in this game, you just This is what’s going to always make Carolina so tough to quit. Now, is this a team that you could feel good about every single week? Obviously, right now, the answer is no, because we just saw on the screen how flip-floppy they’ve been the entire season. and their their win loss record obviously speaks to that as well, but you can’t count this team out. I’m So, you mentioned that you’re so glad that they’re on a by-week and you don’t have to we don’t have to talk about them for for another two weeks. Imagine the fine folks in Las Vegas, Nevada trying to set a line for a Carolina Panthers game throughout the rest of the season. Imagine the fine folks in Tampa with this team half game behind them like yourself trying to figure out what in the world they’re dealing with and they still got to play them twice. So, yeah, hats off to to what Caroline is doing. Uh Bryce just it’s so much fun to watch him play as confidently as he did against the Rams. Um 83.5 passing grade in this one. 15 for 20 just over 200 passing yards and three touchdowns. Two big time throws. No turnover worthy plays in this game. He was awesome. Another most impressive I had was I mentioned Chuba Huard 80.0 rushing grade 60 yards after contact in this game. He had two catches for 41 yards and a receiving touchdown as well. um really encouraged by how he got into the mix and how I think that there is that really good blend of him and Rico Dael in the same backfield uh splitting those carries and when I say split I mean you know finding whatever the good balance is for that week but I think Carolina’s got a ton of potential and they obviously showed it this week beating a really really good Rams team and uh when this team plays confidently they can clearly beat anybody I think the other big development here because you know one thing with Tedo McMillan is that that game-winning touchdown was the only ball that he caught this is big I think for the game that Jaylen Coker had this was really the first game since he’s been healthy that he had a big impact, right? He was their highest graded player in this game, 84.9 receiving grade. And it feels like all year, yes, McMillan’s been great all year. He might win offensive rookie of the year and it would be welld deserved, but they need one more guy to step up on a consistent basis. Is it going to be Xavier Legett who had a big touchdown against Atlanta? Is it going to be Jaylen Koker who had the big game here against the Rams if they can get just that whole combination of guys going instead of being so reliant on the run game and then on McMillan? And trust me, McMillan has been great. He should lead the te the team in targets just about every week, but you need other guys to step up as well. Coker doing that in this game made a huge difference. Also, um most disappointing, I mean, mine was Matthew Stafford just because, you know, you had the turnovers in this game and you know, it’s funny we when we talked about the Rams last week, just our appreciation for them. I mentioned that I don’t know if there’s a game where I felt like they were outplayed yet this year. The Carolina one I think is the closest one because you want to give Carolina a ton of credit and kudos for for how well they played, but once again like Carolina was clean on the turnover sheet. The Rams were not. The only games that the Rams have lost this year, they have had brutal turnover. So it really is something where if if the Rams have a game where they have zero or one turnover, it’s really really hard to beat this team. But they had three turnovers in this game. Matthew Stafford was not as sharp as he usually is uh below a 60.0. 0 passing grade in this one and I think that that’s that’s why this was a disappointing outing for them and why they ended up losing this game. Yeah, mine is a guy who we were heaping so much praise on last week for the great game he played against Tampa, but Emanuel Forbes with his toughest game of the year. A 28 coverage grade, five catches and 110 yards allowed. It just I it just felt like for the Panthers on both sides just the perfect confluence of events. Guys who were playing great football all of a sudden didn’t have their best day in this game. And the Panthers, I think offensively, they I I they played to me, considering the opponent their best offensive game of the year, even even more so than the Atlanta game. This just was I almost want to say it was the first time that we really saw this team be this two-dimensional. Maybe go back to maybe the Dallas game, too. That was another one. But consider what Dallas was on defense. When you talk about this team, I think overall it was the best offensive game that they’ve played. And look, some guys on the Rams defense didn’t have their best day in this one. Yeah, they were fearless to go after Emanuel Forbes, which is interesting given how well he has played so far this year. And they said, “Nope, don’t care. We’re gonna run the offense the way that we want to. Tat’s going to be on Emanuel a lot, and we feel good about it.” So, shout out to Carolina. Hell of a win for him.

PFF’s Trevor Sikkema and Dalton Wasserman review the matchup between The Los Angeles Rams and The Carolina Panthers.

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