The Carolina Panthers defeated the Houston Texans 27-17 on Wednesday night, but everyone knows that the scores don’t matter in the preseason. Unless, that is, you’re competing for a roster spot and you get two of them, which was the case with third-year wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who torched the Texans second and third string defense for six catches, 98 yards and two touchdowns. While Byrd was thought to be leading the race for the fifth wide receiver slot and he may have cemented his spot on the roster with his performance tonight, don’t confuse a great preseason week 1 performance as a stranglehold on the job. But the battle for the roster can wait until tomorrow, tonight was all about Byrd. “It means a lot. It’s a dream of everybody’s to be able to play for an organization as great as this in the NFL,” Byrd said. “It’s always great to step on the field.” Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin looked at it another way.
“That was nothing but money. That was speed and money.”
Benjamin was impressive himself, owning both of the drives the first team participated in; the receiver spent his evening attempting to silence some of the preseason critics with two catches, the first a short pass in which he bounced off a defender and stiff-armed his way down the field for a seventeen yard gain; the second being a spectacular catch in which he went up over cornerback Johnathan Joseph and came down with the touchdown grab, utilizing every inch of his six foot, five inch frame for the score. That touchdown ended the day for the first team offense.
The first team defense played extremely well in their time on the field, with the defensive line looking dominating on a night when neither Julius Peppers nor Charles Johnson suited up. Kawann Short had a sack and Star Lotulelei pushed his man deep into the backfield during the first series, which went eight yards the wrong way. The second series was a little bit better for Tom Savage and the Texans, they were able to pick up five yards before they punted.
“It definitely feels good to be back in Bank of America Stadium and playing in front of our home crowd. Overall, the first half, the ones definitely had a good showing.”
-Thomas Davis
At times Bank of America felt more like Death Valley, with thousands of Clemson fans in the building to see their former quarterback Deshaun Watson, who received most of the playing time and looked better than starter Savage. The sea of orange was rewarded for their attendance, as Watson showed all facets of his game for the entire second and third quarters; at times, the quarterback looked like a younger version of Cam Newton, rushing for a 15-yard score or avoiding potential sackers before throwing the ball away, and at times, the rookie looked lost, missing badly on some throws. On Watson’s first touchdown of his career, the stadium exploded as if it was a Panthers score.
Watson wasn’t the only rookie who turned heads, as offensive weapon Christian McCaffrey looked electric on his seven carries, including a twelve-yarder behind a pulling Ed Dickson on which McCaffrey was only prevented from hitting the endzone by a shoestring tackle. Even the rookie knew he could have scored on that carry, saying after the game, “Yeah, I should have, I don’t know who I tripped on, but I’ve just got to keep my feet.” McCaffrey looked fast and sharp, getting multiple carries throughout the first and second quarters. He took some runs up the middle, showing his toughness by absorbing hits and keeping his legs churning. McCaffrey was the three-down back at Stanford, so he is used to running up the middle; while some fans would like for him to be constantly on the outside, he’ll be utilized all over the field this season, including straight up the gut. An underrated use for the rookie is as a decoy, a play-action fake in the second quarter drew the entire defense to the left side, allowing tight end Chris Manhertz to be wide open for a first down.
“You get so lost in the grind sometimes, you forget that football is the best thing in the world.”
-Christian McCaffrey
Other Notes:
- Injuries: The Panthers suffered three injuries, Vernon Butler exited early with a knee injury , Brenton Bersin left with a left quad bruise, and Scott Simonson was removed when he aggravated his hamstring injury. More details as they arise.
- Kicking Battle Update: Gano missed a 50 yarder but drove through a 45 yard attempt, while Butker made one from 51, the first of his career. Both kickers drove the ball well on kickoffs.
- Wide Receiver Update: Kaelin Clay looked good during short action, catching 1 ball for 11 yards and taking a sweep for 18. He also added a nice punt return in which he spun away from defenders for 20 yards. Local fan favorite Austin Duke, however, did not fare as well, pairing an overturned fumble (which was a drop if it wasn’t a fumble) with an egregious drop. Duke was clearly 4th string QB Garrett Gilbert’s favorite target, as he was able to pull in his final two targets for 34 yards. He’ll need to play much better in the next three preseason games.
- Linebackers Update: While Ben Boulware and Zeek Bigger are fan favorites, neither got into the game until after the fourth quarter began. Bigger notched three tackles and a sack, but Boulware was kept off the scoreboard. They fell farther behind the pack as Jared Norris was in on a tackle to force a fumble, and Ben Jacobs played extensively on special teams. Jeremy Cash, however, did not play particularly well, especially in coverage.
- Safety Update: Playing with the second team was former Falcon Dezmen Southward, which was a surprise considering we thought LJ McCray was ahead of him on the depth chart, but Southward held his own, with Ron Rivera saying that he felt Dezmen did a nice job while McCray showed his physicality, noting that they had three guys (including Colin Jones) competing for that job. Colin Jones felt comfortable next to Southward, saying after the game that he and Southward “talked all night.”
We’ll be back tomorrow with more in-depth analysis from our team, but for now, just savor the moment. The Panthers are undefeated.
