49ers at Panthers: 3 things we learned
By John Buhler
The Carolina Panthers beat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, 46-27. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Panthers’ win over the 49ers.
The Carolina Panthers needed to get a win on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, particularly after losing their Week 1 game at Mile High Stadium to the Denver Broncos.
With 10 days off between games, the Panthers responded by beating the 49ers in their home opener in Charlotte, 46-27. The Panthers defense forced 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert to play in an ultra-conservative manner. It didn’t help that the 49ers offense struggled to run the football for most of this game.
While Gabbert struggled to move the chains through the air, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton really turned it on in the second half. Newton helped give Carolina a multi-score edge in the third quarter. San Francisco would make things interesting with some early points in the fourth quarter, but it was the Panthers who came out on top.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Panthers’ 46-27 Week 2 victory over the 49ers:
1. Stop the run, stop Gabbert.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but we now know that the best way to throw Gabbert off his rhythm is to stuff the box and stop the run. Gabbert doesn’t have the arm strength, or frankly, the confidence to stretch the field vertically for extended stretches. He can do it, but he’s not reliant on that part of his game.
49ers head coach Chip Kelly had a strict game plan in this ball game, but choosing to not deviate from it early put San Francisco into a hole they couldn’t quite get out of.
Kelly prefers to use the run to open up the pass. Gabbert is adept at executing his offense, as long as the ground game yields anything for the 49ers. Carolina successfully held San Francisco to under 100 yards on the ground in this win.
2. Newton likes having Kelvin Benjamin back in the fold.
Newton was his dominant self in this game, but he did have a few mental lapses, inlcuding a pair of turnovers. He continued to make plays with his arms and his legs, but Newton has to be ecstatic to have a healthy Kelvin Benjamin in 2016.
It’s as if Newton has gained another top-tier target in Benjamin on the outside in addition to what he already has in Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen. Newton leaned heavily on Olsen in 2015 to win the NFC, but not having Benjamin might have been what ultimately cost the Panthers Super Bowl 50.
Benjamin played great, notching seven catches for 110 yards and two touchdown receptions in the third quarter. Newton doesn’t need a ton of weapons to be an effective playmaker, but having Benjamin back in the fold is good news for the Panthers and bad news for everybody else in the NFC.
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3. Fozzy Whittaker’s strong game opened up the pass for the Panthers.
Running back Fozzy Whittaker had his best game as a professional here in Week 2 against the 49ers. Carolina needed somebody to pound the rock once Jonathan Stewart had to leave the game early with a hamstring injury.
Whittaker responded with 16 carries for 100 yards and three catches for 31 yards. Yes, Whittaker fumbled once for the Panthers, but Carolina could count on him to move the chains with his solid rushing performance nonetheless.
Had Whittaker struggled to gain yards on the ground against an improving 49ers defense, this game might have been closer than the actual outcome. With the Panthers turning the football over often in this game, San Francisco might have pulled of the shocking road upset if Whittaker doesn’t assume the bell-cow back role in place of Stewart.