Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton threw for 189 yards and combined for three scores, but Washington's Taylor Heinicke spoiled Newton's return to Bank of America Stadium, passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns to steal a 27-21 road victory for the Football Team.
Click here for more PFF tools:
Rankings & Projections | WR/CB Matchup Chart | NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings
Washington Football Team
Quarterback
Taylor Heinicke built off his strong performance last week by throwing for three scores for the first time since Week 4.
The biggest concern for Heinicke was his carelessness with the football, but the signal-caller threw one big-time throw and zero-turnover worthy plays. He completed 73% of his passes and averaged 9.4 yards per pass attempt to earn a career-high passing grade (89.8) and passer rating (141.3) upon first review.
Taylor Heinicke by target depth
| Target depth | Comp. % | TDs | YPA | Passer rating |
| 0-9 yards | 90.9% | 2 | 7.2 | 136.2 |
| 10-19 yards | 100% | 1 | 14.5 | 158.3 |
| 20+ yards | 40% | 0 | 13.8 | 87.5 |
Running backs
Antonio Gibson fumbled the ball early in the red zone and didn’t receive another snap until the third quarter. Being temporarily benched proved to motivate Gibson, as the second-year running back averaged 5.5 yards on 14 second-half carries.
While Gibson was on the bench, both J.D. McKissic and Jaret Patterson saw an increase in touches, with McKissic averaging 6.6 yards per carry. All three running backs combined for seven explosive carries and nine first downs.
| Player | Attempts | Yards | First Downs | Explosive run | Stuff rate |
| Antonio Gibson | 19 | 93 | 5 | 4 | 10.5% |
| J.D. McKissic | 7 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 0.0% |
| Jaret Patterson | 7 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 28.6% |
Wide receiver/tight ends
Terry McLaurin led the league in contested catches heading into the game and added two more to his total today, including a 12-yard touchdown grab. McLaurin has likely earned an elite receiving grade for his efforts, with five receptions, 103 yards and a perfect passer rating when targeted.
DeAndre Carter and Cam Sims each caught touchdown passes. But outside of McLaurin, no other receiver accounted for more than three receptions or 30 receiving yards.
Offensive Line
Washington’s offensive line played one of its best games of the season, allowing just three pressures in the win. Charles Leno Jr. didn’t lose a pass-blocking rep and is expected to earn an 88.0-plus pass-blocking grade.
Brandon Scherff and Samuel Cosmi were the only linemen to allow pressure in the game.
Defensive Line
Jonathan Allen stepped up to the plate with Chase Young and Montez Sweat out, creating three pressures and earning an 82.2 pass-rush grade on first review. Allen was the only lineman to create constant pressure and won 21.1% of his pass-rush snaps.
The defensive line combined for eight defensive stops and three tackles for loss or no gain.
James Smith-Williams and Daron Payne combined for just two pressures but split the game-sealing sack.
Linebackers
Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis received more negative grades than positive ones against the run, leading to what will likely be sub-50.0 overall grades. Both linebackers conceded at least two receptions for over 24 yards in coverage.
Secondary
Washington’s secondary has been picked apart all year but held up well against Newton. William Jackson III allowed four receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown, but the unit was only responsible for 92 yards allowed in coverage.
| Player | Coverage snaps | Targets | Yards allowed | Forced incompletions |
| Kendall Fuller | 29 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| William Jackson III | 29 | 5 | 31 | 1 |
| Bobby McClain | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamren Curl | 26 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| Landon Collins | 23 | 3 | 31 | 0 |
| Danny Johnson | 12 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Newton operated in the short-to-intermediate range throughout the game, with 20 of his 21 completions coming within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage.
He prioritized getting the ball out quickly, evidenced by his 5.9-yard average depth of target. His lone target beyond 20 yards was a seam route to Christian McCaffrey that went for a touchdown.
Newton also showed up in a big way on the ground, rushing for 46 yards, a touchdown and three first downs.
Cam Newton by target depth
| Target depth | Completions | Attempts | Yards | TDs | Passer rating |
| 0-9 yards | 15 | 19 | 95 | 0 | 87.5 |
| 10-19 yards | 5 | 6 | 67 | 1 | 152.8 |
| 20+ yards | 1 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 158.3 |
Running backs
All eyes were on Newton, but Christian McCaffrey still functions as the engine for the Panthers' offense. McCaffrey averaged 5.9 yards per carry on 10 carries, with 88% of his yards coming after contact. The star back also caught seven passes for 60 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Wide Receiver/tight ends
D.J. Moore scored a 10-yard receiving touchdown on the Panthers' opening possession, but his production stalled out as the game progressed. He finished with 50 receiving yards.
Moore averaged 1.85 yards per route run but was the only bright spot among Carolina receivers. Tommy Tremble finished with the second-most receiving yards (35) among receivers.
Offensive Line
Carolina’s offensive line started strong but proved to struggle as the game went on. Michael Jordan allowed four of the unit’s seven pressures, while John Miller and Pat Elfein combined for four losses in pass protection. Taylor Moton and Brady Christensen were bright spots on the offensive line and are expected to earn 85.0-plus pass-blocking grades.
| Player | Pass-blocking snaps | Sacks allowed | Beaten by defender | Pressure rate |
| Michael Jordan | 29 | 0 | 1 | 13.8% |
| Pat Elfein | 29 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| Taylor Moton | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| John Miller | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3.5% |
| Brady Christensen | 26 | 0 | 0 | 3.9% |
Defensive Line
The Panthers' pass rush couldn’t get consistent pressure on Heinicke despite blitzing on 42% of his dropbacks. The defensive line amassed six pressures, with no player accounting for more than two. Marquis Haynes played just three pass-rush snaps but sacked Heinicke once.
Brian Burns and Haason Reddick also sacked Heinicke in the game, but three of their combined five pressures were charted as cleanup sacks.
| Player | Pass-rush snaps | Sacks | Pressures | Win rate |
| Haason Reddick | 21 | 1 | 3 | 13.6% |
| Brian Burns | 20 | 1 | 2 | 9.5% |
| Derrick Brown | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| DaQuan Jones | 18 | 0 | 1 | 10.5% |
| Morgan Fox | 12 | 0 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Marquis Haynes | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33.3% |
Linebackers
Shaq Thompson and Jermaine Carter combined for 10 tackles, but neither is expected to grade above 50.0. Carter created three defensive stops but recorded more negatively graded plays than positively graded plays against the run. Thompson allowed two receptions for 28 yards, but neither went for a first down.
Secondary
Donte Jackson wasn't at his best against Washington, conceding five receptions for a team-high 86 yards and a touchdown. He’s set to earn his worst coverage grade of the season. C.J. Henderson and Jeremy Chinn allowed a touchdown apiece.
Stephon Gilmore played 19 coverage snaps and allowed one reception for five yards.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.