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Week 12 Game Preview: Panthers vs. Broncos

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CHARLOTTE - The Panthers return home after a defensive struggle at Baltimore with another matchup against an AFC foe.

Carolina (3-8) and Denver (3-7) are coming off losses that got away in the fourth quarter. The Broncos fell to Las Vegas in overtime after the Raiders tied the game with less than 20 seconds remaining. 

The Panthers committed three fourth quarter turnovers and the Ravens scored 10 unanswered points to win 13-3. Carolina has won two in a row at home and is still fighting in the NFC South race.

Scroll below for more information on the Week 12 matchup, team connections, series history and stats comparison, presented by Amazon Next Gen Stats.

Game Reset

History: Panthers vs. Broncos

  • Carolina is 1-6 all-time against the Broncos | Series History
  • Current Streak: Broncos W4
  • Carolina's only win against Denver came in 2008

Player/Coach Connections

  • Panthers assistant defensive line coach Terrance Knighton played for the Broncos from 2013-14
  • Panthers wide receivers Laviska Shenault Jr. (Colorado) and Rashard Higgins (Colorado State) both went to school in Colorado
  • Denver senior defensive assistant Dom Capers was Carolina's first head coach from 1995-1998
  • Broncos players Jalen Virgil (Appalachian State), DeShawn Williams (Clemson), Essang Bassey (Wake Forest), Kendall Hinton (Wake Forest) and Justin Strnad (Wake Forest) all went to college in the Carolinas

Statistical Comparison

Table inside Article
Category Carolina Denver
Offense
Total Yards/Game 286.1 (31st) 326.4 (21st)
Rushing Yards/Game 110.5 (19th) 102.6 (25th)
Net Passing Yards/Game 175.5 (29th) 223.8 (15th)
Sacks Allowed 26 (t-18th) 33 (28th)
Third Down Efficiency 28.0 (32nd) 28.2 (31st)
Points/Game 18.8 (25th) 14.7 (32nd)
Defense
Total Yards/Game 357.5 (22nd) 302.1 (3rd)
Rushing Yards/Game 137.0 (27th) 115.3 (14th)
Passing Yards/Game 220.5 (18th) 186.8 (3rd)
Sacks 22 (t-17th) 26 (t-15th)
Third Down Efficiency 41.2 (21st) 34.1 (4th)
Takeaways 10 (t-24th) 10 (t-24th)
Points Allowed/Game 23.3 (20th) 17.1 (3rd)

Notes and Trends

Foreman moving

  • Since becoming the starter in Week 7, D'Onta Foreman has had a strong collection of rushing performances. Over that period, he's had three 100-yard rushing games and is fifth in the league with 413 rushing yards and tied for fourth with four rushing touchdowns.
  • Two weeks ago against Atlanta, he had 31 carries which was the most by a Panther since 2004 when Nick Goings had 33 carries in Week 16.

Offensive line play

  • As a team, the Panthers have a pass blocking grade of 73.7 (according to PFF), ranking sixth in the NFL.
  • Since Week 6, Carolina has only allowed nine sacks, tied for fourth in the league over that stretch.
  • Ikem Ekwonu has played every snap at left tackle so far. Since snap counts were kept in 2007, Ekwonu is just the second Panthers rookie (Cam Newton, 2011) to play every offensive snap through the first 11 games of a season.
  • Since becoming a starter in Week 7, Bradley Bozeman has a PFF run blocking grade of 76.5, third-best among qualified centers in that stretch.

Brown up the middle

  • Derrick Brown has been putting together a career season. He currently has 49 tackles, ranking third in the NFL among defensive tackles.
  • Brown has six passes defended, leading all Panthers players and tied for the most in the NFL by defensive linemen.

Luvu back in force

  • After missing playing time with an injury, Frankie Luvu was back in full force the last two weeks. His 22 tackles after tied for the most in the NFL in Weeks 10-11, while his 3.0 sacks are tied for second.

Burns adds to sack total

  • Through 11 games, Brian Burns has 8.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 50 total tackles. He is fourth in the league in TFLs and 10th in sacks.
  • Burns' 20 total stops (sacks + TFLs) behind the line are tied for fourth-most through Week 11 in franchise history.

Hekker inside the 20

  • At Baltimore, Johnny Hekker landed four punts inside the 20 yard line and now leads the NFL with 26 punts inside the 20.
  • Hekker's 43.5 net yards per punt currently ranks eighth in the NFL, and the current average is the highest for a season in franchise history.

Sam Franklin is special

  • Safety Sam Franklin Jr. had yet another special teams tackle on Sunday, bringing him to 11 on the year, which ranks second in the league.
  • Through Week 11, Franklin's 11 special teams tackles are the most since Richard Marshall had 14 in 11 games in 2008.

2022 Statistical Milestones to Watch

  • Brian Burns (33.5) needs a half-sack to tie Greg Hardy (34.0) for sixth place in franchise history.
  • Burns (12) needs eight tackles for loss to tie Luke Kuechly (20, 2018) for the franchise record in a single season.
  • Derrick Brown (14) needs four pass deflections to tie Julius Peppers (18) for the most by a Panthers defensive lineman in his first three seasons.
  • Brown (49) needs six tackles to tie Kawann Short (55, 2015/2016) for the most tackles by a Panthers DT in a single season.
  • Shaq Thompson (83) needs 17 tackles for his fourth consecutive season with at least 100 tackles. That would tie Jon Beason (4 straight) for third-most behind Thomas Davis (5 straight) and Luke Kuechly (8 straight).
  • Johnny Hekker (26) needs 11 punts inside the 20 to tie Todd Sauerbrun (37, 2001) for the franchise record.
  • JJ Jansen (220) needs one game played to tie John Kasay (221) for most in Panthers franchise history.

Carolina is 1-6 all-time against Denver with a 1-2 record at home.

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