In Week 10, the Carolina Panthers got off to a quick start against the Arizona Cardinals and never looked back as they dominated in a 34-10 victory. Cam Newton's arrival was a huge boost to the team as they faced Kliff Kingsbury's squad that was without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins.
With the much-needed win, the Panthers improved to a 5-5 record and nabbed the third spot in the NFC South. They will aim to build on their momentum and grab another win at the expense of the visiting Washington Football Team next week.
Here are three takeaways from the Panthers' Week 10 road win over the Cardinals:
3. Former Cardinals players were crucial in beating their old team in Week 10.
Not many people know that the Panthers do have a couple of players on their roster that previously came from the Cardinals side from a year ago. Linebacker Haason Reddick was a former first-round pick of Arizona back in 2017 and played for the team until 2020. Meanwhile, kicker Zane Gonzalez also donned the red and white from 2018 to 2020 before finding his way to the Panthers this season.
Both players exacted revenge against their old team and were crucial in getting the Week 10 dub for Carolina. Reddick recorded 1.5 sacks against opposing QB Colt McCoy along with three total tackles. On the other hand, Gonzalez was perfect from the field as he hit all seven attempts to produce multiple points for the Panthers.
With their impressive showing against the Cardinals, the opposing side must have been scratching their heads by now and thinking why they let go of their former talents. Indeed, another man's trash is another man's treasure and both Reddick and Gonzalez just epitomized the famous saying in their Week 10 win.
2. Carolina maximized its rushing game to put up points across the board.
Against the Cardinals, star RB Christian McCaffrey was his usual dominant self as he generated 95 rushing yards on 13 carries to go with 66 receiving yards on 10 catches. His fellow RB in rookie Chuba Hubbard also made his presence felt as he produced 27 yards on nine touches to go with a scoring drive.
A newcomer in Cam Newton was able to make an instant impact as well as he ran 14 yards on three attempts and a rushing TD in his first game back. Overall, the Panthers maximized their running game in order to take control of the game early on. It proved to be effective as the Cardinals' pass-rushing defense couldn't do anything to stop the opposing offense which allowed the Panthers to pull away and escape with the W.
1. The Panthers' QB duo did solid work against the Cardinals.
As expected, Cam Newton didn't get to see much action as it was just his first game back in a Panthers jersey after a couple of years. Without Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker got the starting nod and didn't disappoint as he tallied 167 passing yards on 22-of-29 attempts. He did get hit by a couple of Cardinals defenders and even recorded an interception but his performance was enough to effectively steer the Panthers' offense.
Newton also saw action in a handful of snaps and was efficient in the passing game as he threw eight yards on 3-of-4 passes along with a TD. Certainly enough, the former NFL MVP will see more action on the field once he gets to form better chemistry with his teammates and be acclimated to Matt Rhule's system.
For now, the Panthers can enjoy their impressive Week 10 victory and hope that they get to sustain their winning momentum moving forward.
Follow Us
Subscribe