When presented with the chance to potentially take out a rival from the division race in Week 7, the Carolina Panthers failed . . . miserably.
On Sunday, the 1-5 (and banged-up) Tampa Bay Buccaneers came into Bank of America Stadium and ran out with a dominant 43-13 win. They rushed for a total of 258 yards and three touchdowns and, defensively, held the high-flying Panthers offense down.
Obviously, there aren't many, if any positives to take away from this outing if you're Carolina. But, let's see if Pro Football Focus has any to offer from this horror show.
Here are the Panthers' best and worst PFF grades from the defeat . . .
Players listed recorded at least 10 offensive snaps or 10 defensive snaps.
Grades listed are provided by PFF as of 8:25 a.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 26.
Best of the offense
1. LG Damien Lewis: 80.2
2. RT Taylor Moton: 77.7
3. RB Chuba Hubbard: 75.7
4. C/LG Corey Bullock: 74.2
5. QB Kenny Pickett: 71.5
Moton, before exiting with ankle and fibula injuries, allowed zero pressures over 16 opportunities. His 79.6 pass-blocking grade led the offense.
Bullock came on in garbage time and earned a team-high 80.6 run-blocking grade.
Worst of the offense
16. TE Tommy Tremble: 52.7
17. WR Jalen Coker: 51.7
18. RT Monroe Freeling: 45.6
19. LG Torricelli Simpkins III: 39.8
20. WR Brycen Tremayne: 39.0
Coker was limited to one catch for nine yards over four targets.
Tremayne was charged with Carolina's only drop of the game, which resulted in a turnover on downs.
Best of the defense
1. DT Derrick Brown: 79.6
2. DT Bobby Brown III: 74.3
3. CB Will Lee III: 70.2
4. OLB Princely Umanmielen: 69.1
5. S Zakee Wheatley: 66.3
Brown was given a team-high 79.1 grade in run defense. He totaled five tackles and two stops.
Worst of the defense
14. OLB Trevis Gipson: 48.3
15. OLB Nick Hampton: 40.9
15. ILB Bobby Okereke: 40.9
17. DT Tershawn Wharton: 40.7
18. CB Akayleb Evans: 29.4
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield threw just 11 times—and tallied seven completions for 64 yards and a touchdown. Evans—who accounted for a 143.1 passer rating when targeted—was responsible for two of those receptions, 33 of those yards and the score.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Best and worst PFF grades from Panthers' Week 7 loss to Buccaneers