What We Saw: Week 6

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Carolina Panthers @ Los Angeles Rams

Final Score: Rams 24, Panthers 10

Writer: <Jason Wolf> (@<J_Wolf_Picks> on Twitter)

Matthew Stafford threw yet another pick-six in the first half against the Panthers in what was a slow start for the Rams as they were down 10-7 at halftime against the struggling Panthers. But in the second half, after Rams’ starting OL Joe Noteboom left the game, the Rams’ offensive line started clicking and Stafford + the offense began to hum along in a way that we haven’t seen in weeks, maybe all year. PJ Walker‘s longest pass of the night traveled a whole yard through the air, and we saw Christian McCaffrey absolutely ball out in what could have been his final audition for a number of contending teams.

Carolina Panthers

Quarterback

PJ Walker: 10/16, 60 Yards | 1 Carry, -1 Yards

Crazy but 100% true stat of the day: The longest completion in terms of air yards for PJ Walker in this game went for a grand total of one whole yard. The other nine completed passes were all caught behind the line of scrimmage, per Next Gen Stats. Walker averaged a paltry 3.75 YPA, and watching the game, it felt like that number could be even lower. Walker was thrust into an unfortunate situation this week, starting on the road and going up against a desperate Rams team with their back up against the wall after consecutive bad losses. Walker would most likely not be on the Panthers active roster if it were not for injuries to the Panthers’ 1st, 2nd, and 3rd string QB’s, and it was obvious why when watching this game.

Not only does Walker lack the crucial skills required to be a starting QB, but he also did not receive any help whatsoever by the mid-season change of HC and unexpectedly being thrust into the starter role. New HC Wilks got the job on Monday ahead of a cross-country trip to the Rams, and with only a couple days of practice to prepare a gameplan, Walker’s start was doomed from the jump. Playcalling was an issue and never gave Walker a chance to prove himself capable of making throws and moving the ball. Walker was asked to do pretty much nothing except dump it off to CMC, which to his credit, was a job he performed much more admirably than Baker Mayfield, who for some reason refuses to put the ball in his best players’ hands. Sam Darnold should be returning soon and with that probably comes the last we will see of Walker, at least for quite some time.

Running Back

Christian McCaffrey: 13 Carries, 69 Yards | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 89 Yards

D’Onta Foreman: 5 Carries, 19 Yards

RB Christian McCaffrey was finally used appropriately for what seemed like the first time all season. Kind of amazing how one of the most explosive skill position players of all time was being limited by his own Head Coach and starting QB for weeks on end. It only took the loss of both starting QB and HC to get the Panthers to feed their best player the ball, and boy did it look good in the beginning of the game when the Panthers were actually moving the ball by virtue of McCaffrey’s versatility. McCaffrey finished with 155 total yards on the ground + in the air, accounting for an absurd 76% of the Panthers’ entire yardage gained on the day. When used like this, McCaffrey can carry an entire offense, and he showed that today with nearly every touch, looking as explosive and dominant as ever.

CMC tallied 20 touches for 155 yards, good for nearly 8 yards a touch, an insane number for a running back. Trade rumors are swirling around McCaffrey, and he did nothing but increase the asking price this game by running hard, elusive, and making the most out of every touch, somehow gaining chunk yardage often on the ground despite the Rams’ tough front seven knowing what was coming. CMC registered 0 TFL’s (tackle for loss), and a couple of nice runs for 10+ yards. McCaffrey flashed elite skill in a tough matchup surrounded by horrendous team context. If he goes to a contender or even just a decent team with an okay supporting cast, I would expect him to rack up major yardage and gaudy numbers running behind a decent offensive line on a competitive team.

Christian McCaffrey with the one-handed snag 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZFjzoHGEyF

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 16, 2022

Wide Receiver/Tight End

DJ Moore: 7 Targets, 3 Receptions, 7 Yards

Ian Thomas: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards

Robbie Anderson: 0 Targets, 0 Receptions, 1 Ejection by own team

Really not much to be talked about here as this is mostly a throwaway game for the Panthers’ receivers. PJ Walker’s inability to throw the ball downfield (in addition to the coaching staff’s unwillingness to let him go for it) severely limited any potential Panthers’ receivers might have had on the day. Walker averaged less than 1 air yard per throw, and the receiving group’s numbers obviously suffered as a result. DJ Moore saw seven low-quality targets, hauling in three receptions for a whopping total of seven yards on the afternoon, continuing what has been a nightmare season for Moore. There were many people (including myself) who had predicted a breakout year for Moore, and his usage grows increasingly questionable and mind-blowing. Brighter days should be ahead when QB Sam Darnold comes back into the fold, as they at least have shown to have some chemistry together in the past.

You know your team is down bad when TE Ian Thomas is the second-leading receiving option. To his credit, Thomas did have one catch with some YAC that he created himself, something that was sorely missing from the offense outside of CMC.

Eccentric WR Robbie Anderson was seen getting into a yelling match with Panthers’ offensive coaches on the sideline as well as sitting away from teammates and was thus hilariously ejected from the game by his own team in what is most likely one of the last times we see him suit up for this team. In line with this disastrous season for the Panthers, the Robbie Anderson-Panthers saga has been a confusing and unnecessarily dramatic one.

Los Angeles Rams

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford: 26/33, 253 Yards, TD, INT | 2 Carries, -3 Yards

For the majority of the first half, it seemed as if the Rams could somehow lose to the PJ Walker-led Panthers. The offensive line was struggling yet again, and Matthew Stafford picked up where he left off against the Cowboys, looking completely out of sync with the team and his receivers. With two minutes left to go in the first half and the Rams in their own territory up 7-3, Stafford threw a pass intended for his BFF Cooper Kupp but was significantly off in the placement, resulting in a clean interception for the defender and an untouched pick-six, giving the Panthers a 10-7 lead going into halftime in what seemed to be another nightmare game for Stafford. The interception wasn’t a terrible decision (as most of Stafford’s INT’s have been thus far), rather was just poorly thrown.

However, Stafford and the Rams turned it on in the 2nd half, outscoring the Panthers 17-3 and eventually winning the game, 24-10. Stafford’s day can be broken down into two parts; pre and post-injury to OL Joseph Noteboom, who was carted off in the first half of the game. Noteboom’s (who has been one of the worst starting OL in the league thus far) absence allowed OT Alaric Jackson to move to his preferred LT position, and this actually marked a dramatic improvement in the offensive line play. Jackson’s sturdiness helped settle down the O-line, and as a result, Stafford and the Rams looked as good as they have all year in the second half. Stafford had more time to throw, and he started looking downfield and connecting on more intermediate throws, something that has been lacking the past few weeks.

There are still valid concerns to be had with Stafford about his decision-making under pressure and the accuracy on some of his throws but he looked significantly improved when given just a little stability in the pocket. Noteboom’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for the team but real tests will come in the following weeks as the Rams get the 49ers and Bucs in their next two games, and their pass rush will not be as forgiving as the declawed Panthers.

Running Back

Darrell Henderson Jr.: 12 Carries, 43 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 9 Yards

Malcolm Brown: 7 Carries, 15 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 13 Yards

Cam Akers‘ days as a Ram seem to be coming to an end in short order as the Rams decided to sit out their “star” RB for their Week 6 game due to “personal reasons” which also caused him to miss the last two days of practice leading up to the game. HC Sean McVay and Akers apparently have “philosophical differences” when it comes to the game and this has completely eroded the relationship between Akers and the team as it is widely believed that the Rams are fielding trade offers for their once-upon-a-time franchise RB. This opens the door for Darrell Henderson Jr. to finally take full command of the Rams backfield, and he has looked up to the task this season. Henderson’s numbers didn’t pop in the box score this week but he passed the eye test with flying colors. Henderson isn’t the fastest / most explosive athlete but he is a powerful runner with plus vision who is going to fight for every yard and fall forward on nearly every rush. Henderson took 12 carries and was not stopped for a TFL on any of his attempts, an impressive stat given the state of the Rams’ offensive line this season (though they did look better in this game after starting OL Noteboom left the game). Malcolm Brown figures to see an increased workload with Akers out of the picture but he will probably see fewer of the snaps/opportunities than Henderson did as the 1B since Brown is not quite the quality of runner that Henderson is.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Cooper Kupp: 2 Carries, 17 Yards | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 80 Yards

Allen Robinson II: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 63 Yards, TD

Ben Skowronek: 1 Carry, 17 Yards, TD | 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 40 Yards

Tyler Higbee: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 7 Yards

Death, taxes, and Cooper Kupp dominating the middle of the field. Kupp actually had a somewhat “quiet” day given what we have come to expect out of him on a weekly basis but, of course he looked amazing with the ball in his hands and running excellent routes. Kupp’s biggest play of the day came on a monster YAC effort when he took a simple screen behind the LOS and plowed his way through the middle of the defense for a 23-yard gain, juking LBs, plowing through DBs, and dragging guys with him for extra yards. 23 yards on Kupp’s biggest play of the day is subpar for his standards but the effort and execution on this play were fantastic as he made a lot of something out of nothing on a play that looked like it could have just as easily been snuffed out for a short gain.

Cooper Kupp is a BEAST 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/FgBLRRp281

— Brian (@byysports) October 16, 2022

Other than his biggest gain of the day, Kupp did most of his damage from the slot, abusing DBs to the tune of seven grabs on eight targets, yet again flashing his elite efficiency, route running, and hands.

You know it was a better day for the Rams’ offense when WR Allen Robinson was not only involved in the offense, but actually looked…effective? Robinson has been criticized (and rightfully so) for his play going back to last year on the Bears, with his effort as well as ability to separate being called into question. The game against the Panthers was the first time all season where it seemed like he was consistently getting separation, so between that and the fact that the Rams’ offensive line was actually giving time for Stafford to go through progressions, Robinson had his best day of the season, grabbing five of six targets for 63 yards and a TD. The touchdown is encouraging not just for fantasy managers but because Robinson beat his man off the line and Stafford was looking his way the entire time from the snap. This is highly encouraging and could bode well for Robinson’s fantasy managers as well as for his usage on the Rams who are clearly missing Odell Beckham Jr.

TE Tyler Higbee saw his usage significantly decrease this game compared to last week against the Cowboys which makes sense given that the Rams were playing from behind all last week, and the Panthers were down their best cover CB Horn while last week CB Trevon Diggs on the Cowboys helped lock up the outside, leaving the middle of the field open. Higbee is useful as a blocker and receiver so his production can’t truly be relied upon from week to week.