Observations: Panthers vs. Patriots Preseason

Cam Newton’s passing numbers — 8/12, 88 yards — wouldn’t be awful if he had played just one quarter. He played into the third, producing no points. His offensive line didn’t help, giving up three first-quarter sacks (you could make a case the first wasn’t on the line). For the second straight game, the best news is Newton’s ankle held up through the sacks, and three runs that totaled 12 yards. His biggest health concern now is a bruised back and some sore ribs.
Derek Anderson, whose wife’s due date is Saturday, led the Panthers’ best drive of the night, but he telegraphed a pass that was intercepted at the goal line by LB Steve Beauharnis.

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart gained 20 yards on 9 carries. It’s too early to count out Williams, but it’s ok to wonder. Stewart did rumble 20 yards on a third-down pass.
Fozzy Whittaker led Panthers’ rushers with just 17 yards on 7 carries. He also dropped a pass, so the excitement of last week should dissipate a bit.
Darrin Reaves was held out with a sore knee.

Kelvin Benjamin looked great again … so there’s that. Five receptions, 47 yards, including a ridiculous snag on a slant. He has eight catches and no drops in the preseason.
Jason Avant and Jerricho Cotchery were shut out. They’ve combined for two receptions and 33 yards through 3 games, which probably shouldn’t be pinned on them.
The Legend of Brenton Bersin grows. Two more catches, 42 more yards.

Greg Olsen had two receptions for 21 yards, but it could have been much more if Newton didn’t overthrow him a couple times.
Ed Dickson‘s 24-yard reception in the third quarter was his longest of the preseason. He’s caught one pass in all three games.
No catches for Brandon Williams, whose biggest highlight was running down Beauharnis after an interception.

After two solid games, Byron Bell took a step back, but he was far from the only one to blame. The right side suffered with backups Chris Scott and Garry Williams. Williams wasn’t much worse than Nate Chandler has been.

Barely got a hand on QB Tom Brady. DE Greg Hardy played through a shoulder injury, and DE Charles Johnson was back in Charlotte, but this group was disappointing.
DT Star Lotulelei blew up run play, stuffing RB Jonas Gray for a five-yard loss.

Luke Kuechly had limited snaps. His body slam of RB Stevan Ridley was the defense’s highlight of the night.
Thomas Davis was all over the place, leading the Panthers with 7 tackles.
A.J. Klein got caught looking in the backfield and was beat by RB Shane Vereen for a 40-yard touchdown.

Bené Benwikere, who started ahead of Charles Godfrey at nickel, looked really good. May have been enough to keep him up there.
Antoine Cason had a rough outing, seemingly a step behind all night.
It appeared like Davis yelled at Josh Norman again, but this time it was after Norman was in coverage when the Patriots gained a first down on 3rd and 19.

Punt coverage looked sketchy early.
Philly Brown returned a punt 29 yards in the first quarter, but offsetting penalties brought it back.
Whittaker and Brown returned first half kickoffs, but didn’t get a chance to do much.