The Panthers defense showed up in a big way, allowing no offensive trips to the endzone for the fourth game this season in a 17-3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What made this defensive feat even more impressive was how potent the Bucs had been through their first six weeks of the season, coming into the game as the number one rated passing offense in the league and leaving Raymond James Stadium with three turnovers and less than 200 yards added to their statistics. The return of captains Luke Kuechly and Kurt Coleman clearly helped with the defensive domination, but the Panthers are still waiting for the same rejuvenation on offense which may come with the return to practice of tight end Greg Olsen on Wednesday.
With Coleman returning to the safety slot and playing every snap, the platoon of Colin Jones and Jairus Byrd collected all of their snaps on special teams; the same fate befell David Mayo, who played 74% of the snaps last week but was shuttled back to his role as special teams ace with the return of Kuechly to the 100% club. Fellow linebacker Thomas Davis played every snap as well as buffalo nickel Shaq Thompson only saw the field for 54% of the plays; Kyle Love once again outsnapped fellow defensive tackle Vernon Butler and picked up half a sack for his troubles. The Seymour/Worley rotation continued with Worley taking 79% of the snaps, Seymour had a nice pass breakup covering Mike Evans down the field but it would appear that Worley is the preferred option for the coaching staff.
Trai Turner reaggravated his knee injury and missed the fourth quarter; his replacement Amini Silatolu was in for the final 25% of the snaps. Chris Manhertz continues to gain more and more traction in the offense, with his 40% in Tampa the most since he played 43.5% in Detroit; Cameron Artis-Payne had his first touches of the season and saw limited action, it will be interesting to see if he maintains a role once Fozzy Whittaker returns from injury. Newly signed wide receiver Kaelin Clay saw six snaps, but may see more as he gets additional reps in practice; Curtis Samuel continues to hover between 25-30% of the snaps and is clearly a fourth option behind Russell Shepard, who saw 12 more against the Buccaneers.
The following table is sortable, so feel free to click around and form your own conclusions. Have questions or comments? Let us know!
| Player | Position | Offensive Snaps | Percentage | Defensive Snaps | Percentage | Special Teams | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D Williams | T | 65 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| T Larsen | C | 65 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| A Norwell | G | 65 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| M Kalil | T | 65 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| E Dickson | TE | 65 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| C Newton | QB | 65 | 100% | ||||
| T Turner | G | 51 | 78% | 2 | 9% | ||
| K Benjamin | WR | 47 | 72% | ||||
| D Funchess | WR | 43 | 66% | ||||
| C McCaffrey | RB | 38 | 58% | ||||
| R Shepard | WR | 30 | 46% | 11 | 48% | ||
| J Stewart | RB | 28 | 43% | ||||
| C Manhertz | TE | 26 | 40% | 2 | 9% | ||
| C Samuel | WR | 18 | 28% | 14 | 61% | ||
| A Silatolu | T | 16 | 25% | 3 | 13% | ||
| T Moton | T | 11 | 17% | 3 | 13% | ||
| C Artis-Payne | RB | 10 | 15% | 17 | 74% | ||
| K Clay | WR | 6 | 9% | 6 | 26% | ||
| G Van Roten | G | 1 | 2% | 3 | 13% | ||
| J Bradberry | CB | 67 | 100% | 5 | 22% | ||
| M Adams | SS | 67 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| L Kuechly | LB | 67 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| K Coleman | FS | 67 | 100% | 3 | 13% | ||
| T Davis | LB | 67 | 100% | 1 | 4% | ||
| D Worley | CB | 53 | 79% | 10 | 43% | ||
| K Short | DT | 46 | 69% | 3 | 13% | ||
| M Addison | DE | 46 | 69% | 2 | 9% | ||
| S Lotulelei | DT | 39 | 58% | 3 | 13% | ||
| C Johnson | DE | 37 | 55% | ||||
| S Thompson | LB | 36 | 54% | 10 | 43% | ||
| J Peppers | DE | 29 | 43% | 3 | 13% | ||
| K Love | DT | 26 | 39% | ||||
| W Horton | DE | 22 | 33% | ||||
| V Butler | DT | 21 | 31% | 1 | 4% | ||
| K Seymour | CB | 14 | 21% | 12 | 52% | ||
| J Norris | LB | 17 | 74% | ||||
| D Mayo | LB | 17 | 74% | ||||
| B Jacobs | LB | 17 | 74% | ||||
| C Jones | FS | 17 | 74% | ||||
| A Gachkar | LB | 17 | 74% | ||||
| M Palardy | P | 10 | 43% | ||||
| J Jansen | LS | 10 | 43% | ||||
| G Gano | K | 7 | 30% | ||||
| J Byrd | FS | 6 | 26% |
