Chiefs vs. Panthers: Handing Out the Grades; Other Notes

This one was easy to grade so we'll get right to it.

Rushing Offense:           Grade   A-

DeAngelo Williams had a career day with 123 yards and two scores (a third was via a reception). Add in Jonathan Stewarts 72 yards and almost 40 minutes of possession time and it spells a dominate rushing performance against the Chiefs. The minus is for the red zone fumble by J-Stew but in the end it only delayed the route by a few minutes.

Passing Offense:           Grade A-

QB Jake Delhomme completed 20 of 29 passes for 236 yards, 2 TD's and a 111 rating. Moose had a 47 yard TD and Smitty chipped in 96 yards. The Panthers also finally got a RB involved in the passing game and the result was a 25 yard TD to D-Will. The minus is again for a red zone turnover, an interception in the end zone that wasn't even close to a Panther. Regardless, the passing clicked at the right times and help keep the Chiefs back-peddling all day.

Rushing Defense:          Grade A+

They held RB Larry Johnson, who was the league' 4^th leading rusher I think, to 2 yards and the Chiefs to 36 yards rushing. Now that is domination of epic proportions.

Passing Defense:           Grade A+

The Chiefs managed only 123 yards passing and a combined rating of 32 between their two QB's. Throw in 2 INT's a forced fumble by Julius Peppers on a pass rush and you get another dominate performance.

Special Teams:             Grade B

PR Mark Jones averaged 13 yards on 3 punt returns, John Kasay hit all his kicks and Rhys Lloyd continued his booming KO's. Special teams did not make any killer mistakes but they also failed to do anything really special, hence the B grade.

Coaching:                     Grade A

I liked some of the new wrinkles I saw in the play calling on offense. The pass to D-Will in the flat and the naked boot legs by Jake should all be in the game plan every week. The Panthers put this team away early as they should which shows good preparation by the coaching staff. They also effectively replaced two starters on the offensive line without a hitch. Job well done by all.

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Panther Sign WR Kenneth Moore

As reported earlier by Little King the Panthers placed WR/PR Ryne Robinson on injured reserve after his knee failed to improve since being injured in the preseason. Roster spots are too valuable to keep him on another week. The Panthers then signed a WR from the Detroit Lions PS:

Moore, a Charlotte native, was Detroit's fifth-round draft pick last spring. He was among the Lions' final cuts before being signed to their practice squad.

My first thought was why didn't the Panthers instead resign WR Dominique Thompson, the guy who made the final roster cut only to get cut a few days later when Mark Jones was signed. I checked NFL.com  and Thompson is still out there and available. Hmmm. They also passed on promoting WR William Buchanon from the Panthers own practice squad. Maybe there a limit on the number of times you can promote and demote someone.

The article didn't mention that Robinson's season is done but I was thinking getting put on IR means season-ending. Maybe someone else can clear that up for me. Either way it's a boon for Moore who should get some exposure with the Panthers given only two starting spots are secure.