Cam Newton was able to keep his undefeated record vs the greatest quarterback of all time intact on Friday when the Carolina Panthers defeated the New England Patriots 25-14, albeit in a preseason game. Some call week three of the preseason a “dress rehearsal” for NFL teams. When it comes to fake football, this is the game that supposedly harnesses the most significance. While it’s difficult to hang your hat on a team’s performance in the preseason, seeing certain players perform well (or poorly) can have an impact on how the roster shakes out heading into the regular season.
New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers
During what was another dominant performance by the Panthers in a preseason that sees them holding a 3-0 record for the first time in franchise history, several individuals and groups stood out. Some in a positive light, some not so positive. In Hot or Cold we will break down who is trending in which direction for Carolina, and the circumstances surrounding them.
Hot:
- Christian McCaffery – Not much else can be said about how good CMC has looked throughout the preseason for the Panthers. Norv Turner has established that McCaffery is going to be a centerpiece in this offense. The second-year tailback had ten touches on the first drive alone for 52 yards.
Heat Scale: Molten lava
- Curtis Samuel – The second-round draft pick from 2017 had left a lot to be desired after his first season was riddled with injuries and he missed the beginning of camp this year. No player on the roster has had a bigger mountain to climb when it comes to positional depth. Samuel has answered the bell this preseason. Finishing with three catches for 58 yards against New England, Samuel has played about as well as anyone given his place on the roster. There are even some rumblings that Samuel could upend Torrey Smith at the WR2 spot. It’s a small sample size, and it seems as if Smith is a lock to be a starter, but it is extremely promising to see the former Buckeye bounce back the way he has.
Heat Scale: Slightly under-microwaved dinosaur egg oatmeal
- Luke Kuechly – Luke Kuechly is good at football. Ctrl C, Ctrl P. Luke had a goal-line stand by himself against the Patriots. He literally had a tackle or PBU on every play from goal to go. The man is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Panthers fans should be grateful that he’s on their side.
Heat Scale: The sun, the literal sun.
- Shaq Thompson – Thompson just continues to make plays. Heading into a season where long-time starter Thomas Davis should see a decline in snaps following his four-game suspension, Shaq looks to have a big season and transition into a starting role.
WHOA. @ShaqThompson_7 came out of NOWHERE! pic.twitter.com/hHXARnsjrr
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 25, 2018
Heat Scale: Three shots made in a row on NBA Jam
- Taylor Heinecke – Heinecke has all but secured the backup quarterback spot to Cam Newton. He will start next week in Pittsburgh in the final preseason game. He physically looks like a Pop Warner player coming in after Cam, which is kind of funny.
Heinicke to the pylon!#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/qRDdtzTMFe
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 25, 2018
Heat Scale: Car seat warmers on the low setting
Cold:
- Captain Munnerlyn – Friday was not Captain’s day. With a number of missed tackles and blown coverages, Captain’s roster spot could be in jeopardy. Although it would be a surprise, it wouldn’t be NFL training camp without a surprising cut.
Cold scale: Drinking water after chewing minty gum
2. DJ Moore– The rookie came out hot in week one vs the Buffalo Bills, but hasn’t shown much since. He was given an opportunity on a throw to the end zone in which Cam was slightly off target. Great receivers bring in passes that are slightly off-target. No reason to hit the panic button, as it is only preseason, but it would be nice to see Moore get involved on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
Cold scale: Gold Bond tingle
3. NFL Refs – The refs have been awful in the preseason. This is to be expected after the NFL saw the retirements of greats such as Gene Steratore and Ed Hochuli in the offseason. As big of shoes as these are to fill, any average NFL fan could have seen Greg Olsen slide out of bounds at the end of the half. The refs seemed to conclude that he gave himself up in the field of play? Between calls like this and the inflation of penalties due to the new helmet rule, the state of officiating in the NFL looks to be at it’s lowest point since the replacement refs took over during the lockout of 2012.
Cold scale: Ted Williams’ Head (RIP)
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
