Panthers Report Card: Week 16 vs. Falcons

It was a day forget for the Carolina Panthers against their divisional foe Atlanta Falcons as they fell 33-16 in a rather ugly fashion.

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) kneels on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. The Falcons defeated the Panthers 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK

D-Just one week after delivering one of his best games of the season, Cam Newton followed it up with quite possibly his worst of the year; and probably one of the worst in his whole career. From the first snap of the day Newton seemed off of his game and it didn’t get any better as the contest wore on. The Panthers’ quarterback carried a 0.0 passer rating through much of this one and finished with a rating of just 44.5. His stat line was a disaster (18/43, 198 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT) saved by a long – and frankly, terrific – touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin. Throughout the game Newton had trouble connecting with his receivers, who did him no favors either, and when they were open he frequently missed them. There were a few plays here and there that could have helped Newton establish some rhythm and possibly led to some big opportunities for Carolina but ultimately it was a day to forget for the soon-to-be former MVP.Next: RUNNING BACK

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) gets tackled by Atlanta Falcons middle linebacker Deion Jones (45) in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. The Falcons defeated the Panthers 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACK

BAs has happened on multiple occasions this season, the Panthers were forced to all but abandon the run game pretty early on after going down double-digits. With that, Jonathan Stewart and company were limited in their opportunities but performed solidly with the few they received. Stewart carried the ball just 11 times but managed 50 yards from them while Fozzy Whittaker made some plays as well rushing three times for 30 yards and catching one for 14. Had Carolina stuck to establishing the ground game, these two could have helped bring the team back but clearly that was not the case,Next: WIDE RECEIVER & TIGHT END

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (13) catches a touchdown as Atlanta Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins (32) defends in the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVER & TIGHT END

BThe stat sheet says it was a decent day for the Panthers pass catching crew but that was certainly not the case if you watched them in action. Greg Olsen was the brightest spot doing all he could for his squad playing through an elbow injury and caught six passes for 59 yards to put him over 1,000 yards, for the third straight season, and into the record books as the only tight end in history to accomplish such a feat. Benjamin’s 26-yard touchdown reception was really the only positive of his game as he left a number of plays on the field with both miscommunication with Newton and a few dropped passes. Devin Funchess and Ted Ginn Jr. also made their fair share of drop blunders and as mentioned prior, a few of the drops could have resulted in big plays for Carolina. Olsen’s accomplishment makes this grade what it is.Next: OFFENSIVE LINE

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) passes the ball during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

OFFENSIVE LINE

B+There wasn’t much to note for the Panthers offensive line in this one. Against the league leader in sacks, Vic Beasley (14.5 sacks), this unit held their own and didn’t give up even a single quarterback hit to the Falcons’ pass rusher. The group allowed just two sacks and five hits of Newton all game giving him more than enough time for which to work. Even in the run game, which was abandoned early, the front five helped get Carolina 119 yards on the ground with a 5.2-yard average.Next: DEFENSIVE LINE

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Mario Addison (97) reacts after a sack in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. The Falcons defeated the Panthers 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSIVE LINE

A-As the key cog of the Panthers defense that leads the league in sacks with 44, the defensive line was at it again in this one. Mario Addison, the team’s sack leader, was terrific once again adding another sack, to bring him to 8.5 on the year, while also racking up three tackles for loss in the run game. Kawann Short also recorded one of the team’s four sacks and finished with five tackles. Kony Ealy was the other member of the defensive line to record a sack and as a whole this group did well for themselves against a much improved Falcons offensive front.Next: LINEBACKER

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) gets tackled by Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Shaq Green-Thompson (54) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

LINEBACKER

CIt was not a very strong outing for this defensive group against the Falcons as they allowed big plays against both the pass and the run. Thomas Davis led the team with 12 tackles with Shaq Thompson close behind with 11 but both gave up a few big pass plays including one that gave Atlanta a first down on a 3rd and 21 and another on the very next play that saw Tevin Coleman sprint to the endzone for 55-yard score. With a combined 23 tackles, these two were clearly all over the field doing their part but still were unable to stop the run consistently and could have certainly used Luke Kuechly back in coverage.Next: SECONDARY

Dec 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) is sacked by Carolina Panthers strong safety Kurt Coleman (20) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

SECONDARY

C+The Carolina secondary was by no means perfect in this one but they were certainly better than they were the last time these two teams met. With James Bradberry and Daryl Worley more experienced, this unit held their own against Julio Jones who caught a fairly modest four passes for 60 yards. Unfortunately, the two did have some miscues against some of Atlanta’s other receivers who Matt Ryan was able to find fairly easily. The group allowed just 277 yards through the air but were unable to consistently shut down the Falcons’ air attack. Safety Kurt Coleman was also solid in this one notching a sack and four tackles on the day while fellow safety had one of the most memorable plays on the day – and not for a good reason – when he curiously let Tevin Coleman run right by him on his third quarter touchdown run.Next: SPECIAL TEAMS

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano (9) against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl 50 at Levi

SPECIAL TEAMS

*All stats and info via ESPN.com