The Carolina Panthers dropped their ninth game of the season on Sunday, as they ate a 33-10 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.
Here are the studs and duds from the losing outing:
Stud: WR Adam Thielen
By no means was this a fantastic outing for Thielen, who has seen much better days this season. But it was one where he kept the offense moving as best he could.
Thielen recorded a game-high 74 receiving yards on eight grabs. He remains a constant on an otherwise bumpy road for quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers offense.
Duds: All other Panthers receivers
Adam Thielen: eight receptions, 74 yards, 11 targets
Six other Panthers who caught a pass in Week 11: eight receptions, 49 yards, 15 targets
Does anything else need to be said?
Studs: RBs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders
While the offense registered just 187 yards, you can’t pin their latest disappointing performance on the ground game.
Hubbard led the way with 57 yards on 10 carries. Sanders, who took a step forward in a nightmarish year, racked up 50 yards on 11 tries.
Duds: Panthers OL
Carolina’s hog mollies may have been effective through their groundwork, but they were abysmal in pass protection.
Quarterback Bryce Young was hit 10 times and sacked a season-high seven times. Those takedowns help result in 77 passing yards, their lowest of a low campaign.
Stud: CB Troy Hill
Even though he gave up a touchdown to Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (who hasn’t?), Hill stood out in coverage.
He notched a team-leading eight tackles and a game-high three passes defensed.
Dud: Defensive discipline
An otherwise solid unit was uncharacteristically undisciplined on Sunday.
The Panthers defense, which picked up all of 16 flags in their first nine games, was called for six penalties on the afternoon—highlighting a day filled with self-inflicted wounds.
