Carolina Panthers: Grading the 2017 defensive unit
The Carolina Panthers defensive unit played well in the 2017 campaign, but not up to the expectations of seasons past. What grade do they deserve?
The Carolina Panthers were successful in using 2017 to turn around the organization. After the abysmal 2016 campaign that saw the Panthers miss the postseason, there was a lot of retooling the organization had to do. Adjustments were made on the defensive side of the ball and those changes positively impacted how well they performed for the duration of this season.
As a unit, the Carolina Panthers allowed 317.1 yards per game, seventh in the league and 20.4 points per game, which was the 11th best performance. In 2016 the Panthers were in the bottom third in yards per game and they were in the 26th position in points per game as they allowed 25.1 points per game. The comparison between the two seasons shows that there’s lot of improvement across the board which is a step in the right direction that helped push the team to its 11-5 finish.
Collectively, the run defense was as formidable as they’ve been in years, as they held opponents to 88.1 yards per game and only an impressive seven rushing touchdowns all season. The Carolina Panthers have not allowed more than 100 yards per outing since the 2014 season.
The passing game has never been a major part from a statistical standpoint, and this year was more of the same as they allowed 229.1 yards per outing and gave up 25 touchdowns. More telling is the fact that the team gave up 49 plays that were gains of 20 yards or more. The last time the Panthers were in the top ten for passing defenses was back in 2013 and since then this group hasn’t been consistent as they’ve given up large chunks of yards a game. The Panthers play with a personality of “bend, but don’t break” and the passing game truly embodies that style.
Individually, the Panthers were led by the same core of defensive stars. Luke Kuechly continued to lead all tacklers with 125 tackles. The closest player after him was 40 tackles behind as James Bradberry ended with 85, showing that Kuechly continues to remain the dominant force on this roster. What was most intriguing is that Julius Peppers looked like he was in rare form as he and Mario Addison tied to lead the team with 11 sacks each. Kawann Short and Wes Horton played well with 7.5 and 5.5 sacks respectively.
The Panthers are usually power houses in the giveaway/takeaway game, but 2017 wouldn’t be the season for those accolades. After multiple years of having players snatch the ball away from opposing quarterbacks, this is a season in which Kuechly led all players with only three interceptions.
Overall Grade: C+
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The Carolina Panthers played well defensively and held much of this team together. However, the defensive unit didn’t lead the same way it led so much in the past. While they played well all season, the group didn’t live up to the success that defensive units in the past put together. With some key holes needing filling coming into the post season, the Panthers have their work cut out for them if they are going to keep the trend going.