The Panthers had an up and down start to tonight’s preseason home opener against the Dolphins, but fortunately they did enough good to outlast Miami en route to a 27-20 victory that sent the hometown fans home happy.
Here are five winners and three losers from tonight’s game:
Winners
Christian McCaffrey: The Panthers running back is already in mid-season form after he carved up the Dolphins defense for a 71-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Panthers have said this offseason that they plan to give him around 25-30 touches per game, and based on tonight that is definitely a solid strategy.
Ian Thomas: It’s hard to not be happy for this kid. He showed why he was drafted tonight on a beautiful catch and run that resulted in a 27-yard touchdown in the first half. He’s going to be something special, folks. This is just the beginning.
Curtis Samuel: Samuel had some great catches tonight and showed why he was drafted in the second round. He finally looks healthy, too—which is an added bonus.
Corn Elder: When you’re competing for a spot on the 53-man roster, you have to make plays that get you noticed. Elder did that tonight with a very nice tip drill interception. Well done, Corn. Well done.
Kenjon Barner: Barner had himself a nice game and made a case to make the 53-man roster as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart. Yes, he played late in the game against Miami’s backups, but you have to take advantage of any opportunity you can get, and he did that tonight. I’m looking forward to seeing more from him next week. He would have scored a touchdown too, but Elijah Hood had to come in and steal it from him.
Poll
Who was tonight’s biggest winner?
This poll is closed
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39%
Christian McCaffrey
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30%
Ian Thomas
-
15%
Curtis Samuel
-
9%
Corn Elder
-
4%
Kenjon Barner
Losers
Matt Kalil: I know this is an oft-repeated complaint from anyone who cares about the Panthers, but Matt Kalil was very bad last night. He was beaten like a drum repeatedly, and he doesn’t inspire any confidence that he can effectively protect Cam Newton. I hope this changes, but I’m not sure it will at this point.
Brendan Mahon: I’m not gonna rag on the guy too much, but he committed a false start penalty approximately six seconds after the Panthers called a timeout and discussed the play they were going to run. You can’t do that if you want to make a 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent. Also, he suffered a calf injury in the second half. That’s unfortunate for him.
Da’Norris Searcy: He didn’t do anything terrible, per se, but he did get flagged for an illegal hit with the helmet that ended up putting him in the concussion protocol, so that’s enough to put him on the bad list tonight.
Poll
Who was tonight’s biggest loser?
This poll is closed
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90%
Matt Kalil
-
3%
Brendan Mahon
-
6%
Da’Norris Searcy
Who are your winners and losers tonight, Panthers fans? Share your thoughts with us!