The last takeaway the Carolina Panthers created came last season, on Dec. 19, 2021 against the Buffalo Bills. Well, the drought is finally over!
At the 5:32 mark of the first quarter in their Week 3 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, the Panthers snapped that five-game skid—thanks to linebacker Frankie Luvu. Luvu, on a first-and-10 near midfield, ripped the ball out of running back Alvin Kamara’s grasp and left the pigskin up for grabs.
That pigskin would then be picked up by defensive end Marquis Haynes Sr., who proceeded to dash to the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown return. The strip, scoop and score helped give the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
"This is 6 quick"@frankluvu7 x @MarquisHaynes98 💪 pic.twitter.com/Vq3cnO4I3U
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 25, 2022
On Thursday, defensive coordinator Phil Snow gave Luvu some props—noting that the fifth-year defender is becoming more of a complete linebacker.
“Everybody said Frankie was better on the line of scrimmage, right? Rushing and doing that,” he said. “He wasn’t real good in coverage. But he’s really worked on that in the last year. We sat him down and we wanted a complete linebacker and I think he’s becoming a much better linebacker in all aspects of his game. So, hopefully, he can stay healthy. He’s gonna play a lot more snaps than he’s played in the past. So that’s his big challenge.”
Those snaps are, evidently, starting to really pay off.
