Deeper Dive Into Panthers' Snap Counts Against Rams
Some players might've played too much and some players needed some more time on the field in the Carolina Panthers' 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
One of the biggest issues that won't be sustainable is Christian McCaffrey playing every single snap for the offense. Here are the snap counts for both offense and defense -- and some reasons why they need some adjustments for Thursday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Offense
Daryl Williams, 67 (100%)
Matt Paradis, 67 (100%)
Greg Van Roten, 67 (100%)
Taylor Moton, 67 (100%)
Trai Turner, 67 (100%)
Cam Newton, 67 (100%)
Christian McCaffrey, 67 (100%)
DJ Moore, 67 (94%)
Greg Olsen, 63 (94%)
Curtis Samuel, 62 (93%)
Jarius Wright, 40 (60%)
Chris Manhertz, 18 (27%)
Alex Armah, 12 (18%)
Chris Hogan, 5 (7%)
Ian Thomas, 4 (6%)
Dennis Daley, 1 (1%)
The offensive snap count looks pretty healthy, aside from the fact that McCaffrey was in the game for every snap. D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Greg Olsen all played a majority of the game, but Chris Hogan is one guy that has been really quiet. The Panthers brought Hogan in during the offseason as a player that can take the top off and get behind the secondary -- but he only saw the field for five snaps.
Carolina's offense becomes predictable if they only target four players, and that's with consideration that Newton didn't gain a single rushing yard on Sunday. Therefore, it would be beneficial if Ron Rivera implemented Jordan Scarlett and Reggie Bonnafon into the gameplan. Both running backs didn't see a single snap, and Alex Armah was the only other player to come out of the backfield.
It was nice to see Olsen healthy, but he didn't provide much -- so the Panthers could likely benefit with Ian Thomas on the field for more than four snaps.
Defense
Donte Jackson, 77 (100%)
James Bradberry, 77 (100%)
Luke Kuechly, 77 (100%)
Eric Reid, 77 (100%)
Tre Boston, 77 (100%)
Shaq Thompson, 75 (97%)
Mario Addison, 48 (62%)
Brian Burns, 44 (57%)
Gerald McCoy, 40, (52%)
Kawann Short, 35 (45%)
Dontari Poe, 35 (45%)
Javien Elliot, 35 (45%)
Kyle Love, 30 (39%)
Marquis Haynes, 29 (38%)
Efe Obada, 29 (38%)
Jermaine Carter, 26 (34%)
Rashaan Gaulden, 18 (23%)
Ross Cockrell, 11 (14%)
Christian Miller, 7 (9%)
The secondary and Luke Kuechly stayed on the field the entire game, with the addition of Shaq Thompson who played all but two snaps. One player that questioned his time on the field was Gerald McCoy -- who only played 52 percent of the snaps.
McCoy is used to playing 65-70 snaps per game and isn't used to rotating as frequently as the Panthers do. He's also getting acclimated to the team and learning the way that the defensive front works. He did have the most snaps out of defensive lineman, and will likely work his self into a bigger role.
Brian Burns played in 57 percent of the snaps and looked right at home. The Panthers will return Bruce Irvin soon, but it's likely that the starting role at defensive end will be Burns' to lose.
