Week 6 was a particularly ugly one, for both the Carolina Panthers and our weekly predictions.
Let’s dive into some humble pie . . .
1
Panthers don't score on their first possession: Incorrect
The Panthers haven’t scored on their opening touch in any of their five games this season. Are we to believe it starts with their third-string quarterback on the road against a stout, Super Bowl-winning defense?
Well, we don’t believe it. Carolina picks up one first down, then punts away their first possession.
Running back Christian McCaffrey starred on the Panthers’ opening possession, a touch that resulted in a 42-yard field goal from Eddy Piñeiro. He rushed for 27 yards on four carries and reeled in three receptions for 31 yards.
2
Rams don't score on their first possession: Correct
Conversely, the Rams have scored on three of their initial drives in 2022. But, with their offense now struggling and the Panthers defense playing it up for interim head coach Steve Wilks and interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb, Los Angeles gets stopped as well.
Holcomb and his unit came through early. Los Angeles gained just five yards on a five-play drive, one hampered by a holding call on offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom.
3
Neither team scores in the first quarter: Incorrect
Speaking of those offensive struggles for the Rams, they’ve scored a combined 19 points between their last two outings. And while those performances have come against two of the very elite defenses in the league (San Francisco and Dallas), the Panthers have a pretty solid group themselves.
Oh, and the Carolina offense is still the Carolina offense. No score after one.
Obviously, we didn’t get this one right. Piñeiro’s field goal stood as the only points of the quarter.
4
. . . but the Rams do score first: Incorrect
Someone’s gonna have to light up that scoreboard eventually, right? We’ll give that honor to tight end Tyler Higbee, who reels in a red-zone pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Carolina has allowed two touchdowns to the tight end position this season.
Again, we’re clearly off again. The Rams did, though, score the game’s first touchdown—a 5-yard connection between quarterback Matthew Stafford and wideout Allen Robinson at the 3:34 mark of the second quarter.
5
PJ Walker finishes with over 235 passing yards: Incorrect
Usual starter Baker Mayfield, who’ll be off to the side with a high-ankle sprain, has yet to throw for over 235 yards this season. In fact, he’s only cracked the 200-yard mark twice.
Walker, who has about three years’ worth of chemistry with much of this offensive core, tops Mayfield’s past outputs.
This might be one of our most comical predictions of the young season.
Walker was on quite a leash, as just one of his 16 passes went for at least 20 air yards. He completed 10 of those throws for 60 yards.
6
. . . but throws two interceptions: Incorrect
Walker will definitely bring you on a roller coaster. He’ll make some eye-opening plays, but will also make you scratch your head on many others.
In his two career starts, even despite picking up a pair of wins, he threw for a combined three interceptions. Jalen Ramsey and the Rams make him pay a few times.
Seeing as though he wasn’t given a chance to throw much of anything, Walker avoided the interception. Backup Jacob Eason, however, did not—as he found the hands of Rams safety Nick Scott during his lone drive from the fourth quarter.
7
. . . and gets sacked at least four times: Incorrect
Again, Walker tries to make a lot happen. He often abandons the pocket, leaving himself vulnerable to pass rushers, and could be Exhibit A (if not for Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Carson Wentz) for designating sacks as a quarterback stat.
Heck, he was sacked twice in his lone drive from last week. An Aaron Donald-led defense, which will get its takedowns regardless, feasts on Walker.
Walker was chalked up for two sacks on the afternoon, which were actually attributed to him by Pro Football Focus. Carolina’s offensive line allowed just one pressure over 23 pass-blocking snaps.
8
Christian McCaffrey finishes with at least 25 touches: Incorrect
For the second straight week, Christian McCaffrey returned a clean slate of practices. So smoke ’em if you got ’em.
Per usual, this Panthers offense will need a lot of their do-it-all star to stick around in this one.
McCaffrey totaled 20 touches—with 13 rushing attempts and seven receptions. That workload resulted in 158 total yards.
9
DJ Moore finishes with a season-high in receiving yards: Incorrect
Whether we want to throw it all on Mayfield or not, Moore’s production has been almost non-existent. He’s reeled in just 17 receptions over five games and has yet to hit the 60-yard receiving mark in any of them.
His connection with this week’s quarterback, however, breaks through that ceiling. In Walker’s 2020 start against the Detroit Lions, Moore racked up 127 yards on seven receptions over 11 targets. The Panthers make it a point to feed their top wideout.
Welp. Moore finished with seven yards—which is, amazingly enough, his second-lowest mark of the season.
10
Panthers lose: Correct
With both teams desperate for some footing, it might be a touch easier to trust the defending Super Bowl champions than a team in Carolina’s dire situation. Rams win by double digits.
At least we got this. Panthers lost, 24-10.
