The Panthers won the “Battle of the Bads” against Philadelphia on Monday Night Football. With a game this week against another cellar team in Kansas City, Carolina could put together a two-game winning streak.
Offense: A-
QB Cam Newton passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more. He had 306 passing yards, and, just as importantly, no turnovers. The running backs weren’t able to break any big plays, but Carolina put up 30 points. Previous game's grade: B-
Defense: B
Eagles RB Bryce Brown ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns, but the Panthers throttled rookie QB Nick Foles, holding him to 119 passing yards. S Haruki Nakamura got called for a 51-yard pass interference penalty that led to a touchdown. Carolina also recovered three Eagles fumbles. Previous game's grade: C+
Special teams: D
Special teams aren’t getting any better. Punter Brad Nortman had an 11-yard punt, giving him three horrendous shanks in the last month and a half. A new kicker led to even worse results. Graham Gano was signed to replace Justin Medlock, but Gano missed an extra point that would have given Carolina a two-score lead with 4:40 left in the game. Previous game's grade: D
Coaching: B+
The Panthers came out strong against an opponent that had lost six straight games, came back after losing the lead, and held on when the game tightened up late. It hasn’t happened often this year. Previous game's grade: D
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow @CBSPanthers .
