As the Panthers lost their sixth straight, the team continues to turn towards the future with their decision making in terms of who sees the field, be it by injury or simply the changing of the guard – nowhere is that more plain than in the wide receiver rotation, where Devin Funchess (11) played the second-fewest snaps of his career and the fewest since his rookie season while rookie DJ Moore (57) and second year wideout Curtis Samuel (55) played 98% and 95%, respectively. Christian McCaffrey (58) continues his assault on the record books as he played every single snap for the fifth consecutive game and eighth time this season; he also threw a touchdown to Chris Manhertz (15), who used one of his 15 snaps to score the Panthers only touchdown of the night as rookie tight end Ian Thomas (54) stayed on the field for most of the evening in the Greg Olsen role.
Torrey Smith, who practiced all week, did not take a snap – he’s taken 11 over the past three weeks.
Marshall Newhouse (58) started the game at left tackle instead of a banged-up Chris Clark (1), who got the nod as the Panthers extra lineman in the jumbo package.
Luke Kuechly had perhaps his best game of the season, playing 100% of the snaps and amassing 13 tackles, six of which required him to travel 20+ yards, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Shaq Thompson (39) saw the field more than nickelback Captain Munnerlyn (35) as the defensive scheme required more of the ‘big nickel’ package as opposed to the traditional three-corner lineup against 11 personnel.
After battling a calf injury, Kawann Short (47) played his usual allotment of snaps, while Vernon Butler (30), who was inactive for the previous two weeks, was able to apply pressure and pick up a half-sack during his time on the field.
Check out the full snap counts below:
| Player | Position | Offensive Snaps | Percentage | Defensive Snaps | Percentage | Special Teams Snaps | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M Newhouse | T | 58 | 100% | 1 | 5% | ||
| G Van Roten | G | 58 | 100% | 1 | 5% | ||
| T Moton | T | 58 | 100% | 1 | 5% | ||
| C Newton | QB | 58 | 100% | ||||
| R Kalil | C | 58 | 100% | ||||
| T Turner | G | 58 | 100% | ||||
| C McCaffrey | RB | 58 | 100% | ||||
| D Moore | WR | 57 | 98% | ||||
| C Samuel | WR | 55 | 95% | 1 | 5% | ||
| I Thomas | TE | 54 | 93% | 4 | 20% | ||
| J Wright | WR | 36 | 62% | ||||
| C Manhertz | TE | 15 | 26% | 2 | 10% | ||
| D Funchess | WR | 11 | 19% | ||||
| A Armah | RB | 3 | 5% | 15 | 75% | ||
| C Clark | T | 1 | 2% | ||||
| M Adams | FS | 74 | 100% | 2 | 10% | ||
| T Davis | LB | 74 | 100% | 2 | 10% | ||
| L Kuechly | LB | 74 | 100% | 2 | 10% | ||
| E Reid | SS | 74 | 100% | ||||
| D Jackson | CB | 73 | 99% | 7 | 35% | ||
| J Bradberry | CB | 73 | 99% | 5 | 25% | ||
| M Addison | DE | 49 | 66% | ||||
| K Short | DT | 47 | 64% | 2 | 10% | ||
| D Poe | NT | 42 | 57% | 1 | 5% | ||
| J Peppers | DE | 40 | 54% | 2 | 10% | ||
| S Thompson | LB | 39 | 53% | 14 | 70% | ||
| C Munnerlyn | CB | 35 | 47% | ||||
| W Horton | DE | 33 | 45% | 2 | 10% | ||
| V Butler | DT | 30 | 41% | 2 | 10% | ||
| K Love | NT | 29 | 39% | ||||
| B Cox | DE | 26 | 35% | 10 | 50% | ||
| D Mayo | LB | 1 | 1% | 17 | 85% | ||
| C Jones | SS | 19 | 95% | ||||
| B Jacobs | LB | 17 | 85% | ||||
| K Barner | RB | 17 | 85% | ||||
| J Carter | LB | 17 | 85% | ||||
| C Elder | CB | 16 | 80% | ||||
| R Gaulden | FS | 11 | 55% | ||||
| C Artis-Payne | RB | 11 | 55% | ||||
| M Palardy | P | 7 | 35% | ||||
| J Jansen | LS | 7 | 35% | ||||
| C Catanzaro | K | 3 | 15% | ||||
| T Larsen | G | 1 | 5% | ||||
| T Hearn | G | 1 | 5% |
