Head Coach Ranking

Atlanta Falcons 24, Carolina Panthers 10 – Dec. 23, 2018

At Carolina
1:00 p.m. ET
52 degrees

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
ATL 8 7 7 8 8 7.6
CAR 7 8 7 6 7 7.0

Key Coaching Decision #1: (CAR ball, trailing 24-10 / fourth-and-1, ATL 6 / 8:36 Q4)
• Down by 14 points, Atlanta decided to go for it. Taylor Heinicke dropped back and his pass intended for Curtis Samuel fell incomplete and the Falcons took over.

Key Coaching Decision #2: (CAR ball, trailing 24-10 / fourth-and-10, ATL 30 / 6:42 Q4)
• The Panthers again had the ball deep in Atlanta territory and went for it on fourth down. They again came up short as Bruce Irvin sacked Heinicke.

Key Observations:
• Atlanta had a balanced attack as they had 194 yards rushing and 233 yards passing, which kept the Carolina defense off balance. Opening up the second half, Matt Ryan hit Calvin Ridley on a 75-yard touchdown pass that the Panthers couldn’t recover from.

• Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey had another amazing game as he had 178 yards of total offense. He was the only reliable option for an injury-riddled Panthers offense. McCaffrey broke the NFL record for receptions by a running back in the third quarter and now has 106 catches on the season.

• The Panthers ran 36 more plays than Atlanta and had the ball for 15 more minutes in the game, but couldn’t overcome four turnovers and multiple missed opportunities in Atlanta territory.

• Carolina lost its seventh consecutive game and third consecutive game at home.

Cleveland Browns 26, Carolina Panthers 20 – Dec. 9, 2018

At Cleveland
1:00 p.m. ET
31 degrees and clear

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
CAR 7 7 7 7 7 7.0
CLE 8 8 8 8 7 7.8

Key Coaching Decision #1: (CLE ball, trailing 7-0 / third-and-2, CAR 3 / 7:41 Q1)
• The Browns score on a three-yard Jarvis Landry run. Landry, a wide receiver, was lined up tight to the formation and in the backfield. He later ran on third-and-2 from the Cleveland 45 with 14:13 in the fourth quarter for a 51-yard gain. It was obvious here that the Browns offensive coaching staff had seen something in the Panthers’ third-and-short defense that made them susceptible to Landry running the ball.

Key Coaching Decision #2: (CAR ball, game tied 17-17 / fourth-and-4, CLE 48 / 0:25 Q2)
• For the second week in a row, Panthers backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke was called on to throw a “Hail Mary” pass instead of Cam Newton. This underscored the throwing shoulder issues that Cam Newton has — something the Panthers have to address for the remainder of the season and into the offseason.

Key Coaching Decision #3: (CAR ball, trailing 26-20 / fourth-and-goal, CLE 3 / 2:39 Q4)
• The Panthers could have kicked an easy field goal to make it a three-point game with the opportunity to tie or win the game later if the defense made one more stop. Instead, they went for the touchdown. This was an option as Carolina still had two timeouts left as well as the two-minute warning. However, we think they did make the right call to go for it here; there was obviously no guarantee that they would get the ball back. On fourth down, Newton’s pass to wide receiver Jarius Wright was incomplete.

• Carolina then forced a Cleveland punt and they took over at their own 35-yard line with 1:04 in the fourth quarter. On the first play of scrimmage, Newton was intercepted by Damarious Randall and that effectively ended the Panthers’ chances for a comeback in this game, and likely ended their playoff hopes as well.

Key Observations:
• The Panthers are without the services of tight end Greg Olson for the remainder of the season.

• Carolina’s season is looking like it will end in three weeks, as their playoff hopes are dim. The Panthers are now 6-7, after having lost five games in a row, and have two games remaining against the NFC South champion New Orleans Saints.

• The Browns are 5-7-1 and are 3-2 under interim head coach Gregg Williams.

• Cam Newton is not playing at 100 percent. He was inaccurate, including at the end of the game where he overthrew a Panthers wideout in the end zone and later was intercepted on a poorly thrown ball.

• Christian McCaffrey was again a workhorse for the Panthers as he had 22 touches (16 carries and 6 receptions) and ran for two touchdowns and 101 total yards.

• The Browns executed handoffs to Jarvis Landry for a 3-yard score and a 51-yard gain in the fourth quarter that set up a Nick Chubb TD run. Landry had arguably his best game as a member of the Browns as he finished with the two rushes for 54 yards as well as three catches for 57 yards, including scoring on a 51-yard TD pass from Baker Mayfield.

• The Browns had success executing on explosive plays as Mayfield converted pass plays of 66 yards (to Breshad Perriman) and the 51-yard pass to Landry. As mentioned, Landry also had a 51-yard rushing attempt. Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens is doing a great job of getting the Browns playmakers the ball.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Carolina Panthers 17 – Dec. 2, 2018

At Tampa
1:00 p.m. ET
80 degrees/ Breezy and Humid

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
CAR 6 6 6 6 6 6.0
TB 7 9 7 8 9 8.0

Key Coaching Decision #1: (TB ball, leading 24-17 / third-and-5, TB 24 / 4:22 Q4)
• Tampa Bay challenged the ruling on the field of an incomplete Jameis Winston pass to Cameron Brate and lost the challenge, costing them their first timeout. They might have needed that timeout later in the game had Carolina been able to tie the contest on the next possession.

Key Coaching Decision #2: (CAR ball, trailing 24-17 / fourth-and-9, TB 48 / 2:25 Q4)
• Panthers QB Cam Newton throws an incomplete pass to wide receiver Devin Funchess and they turn the ball over on downs. Tampa Bay doesn’t do much with this advantageous field position as they are not able to run out the clock and have to punt. Attempting the conversion here was the right decision with the game nearing the end of regulation.

Key Observations:
• Carolina is now 6-6 after losing four games in a row. Their downfall appeared to be the Thursday night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next week, they travel to face the Browns making it their fourth road game in five weeks.

• Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey continues to have a fantastic second season in the NFL. He was again a dual threat, catching nine passes for 55 yards and taking 10 carries for 106 yards.

• Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was injured in the game and he is likely out for the rest of the season, per initial reports.

• Both quarterbacks were active in the ground game. Cam Newton had more designed runs and carried the ball six times for 33 yards while Jameis Winston carried the ball five times for 48 yards.

• The Bucs have now won two games in a row with Jameis Winston as starter. He was 20-of-30 for 249 yards passing and 2 TDs. Winston is also getting more players involved in the offense as wide receivers Chris Godwin and Adam Humphries had significant statistical games. Godwin had five catches for 101 yards while Godwin had seven catches for 61 yards and a score. Part of the explanation is that the Bucs played without DeSean Jackson, who sat out due to injury.

• Tampa Bay safety Andrew Adams intercepted Cam Netwon three times. Newton finished the game with four interceptions.

• The Bucs play the Saints at home next week in a rematch of Week 1. Tampa Bay has played three straight home games.

Seattle Seahawks 30, Carolina Panthers 27 – Nov. 25, 2018

At Carolina
1:00 p.m. ET
57 degrees, clear

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
SEA 8 8 7 8 8 7.8
CAR 6 8 8 7 7 7.2

Key Coaching Decision #1: (CAR ball, tied 0-0 / Fourth-and-2, SEA 5 / 7:23 Q1)

• Carolina facing a fourth down inside the Seattle 10-yard line decided against attempting a short field and went for the first down. Cam Newton is stopped short and Seattle takes over on downs. We feel in this situation the Panthers needed to kick the field and take an early lead.

Key Coaching Decision #2: (SEA ball, trailing 20-17/ Fourth-and-1, CAR 13/ 11:47 Q4)

• Pete Carroll decided to go for it on fourth down and Seattle converted on a short run by Chris Carson. Seattle could not however, punch it into the end-zone and had to settle for a field goal to tie the game with more than half the quarter to play.

Key Coaching Decision #3: (SEA ball, trailing 27-20/ Fourth-and-3, CAR 35/ 3:33 Q4)

• Russell Wilson and the Seahawks went for it on fourth down and Wilson completed a deep pass to David Moore for the tying touchdown with under four minutes remaining.

Key Observations

• Christian McCaffrey is becoming one of the best backs in football as he totaled over 200 yards of offense with two touchdowns. The Panthers offense had close to 500 yards of offense, but it was all for nothing as they suffered their third consecutive defeat.

• Seattle was out-gained by almost 100 yards of offense but the defense played great in the redzone and Russell Wilson threw for over 300 yards and made huge throws in the fourth quarter as Seattle captured the come from behind victory.

• Carolina entered the game scoring touchdowns on 73 percent of their redzone drives but struggled to put points on the board against a stingy Seattle defense. Seattle was able to end the Panthers 10-game winning streak at home and in the process, this win puts them in great position to snag a Wild Card berth.

Detroit Lions 20, Carolina Panthers 19 – Nov. 18, 2018

At Detroit
1:00 p.m. ET
Dome

TEAM PLAY
CALLING		 PERSONNEL GAME
PLANNING		 IN-GAME
ADJ		 CLOCK
MGMT		 HCR
CAR 5 7 6 6 7 6.2
DET 8 8 9 7 8 8.0

Key Coaching Decision #1: (CAR ball, trailing 20-19 / 2-point conversion attempt / 1:14 Q4)
• The Panthers had just scored. A converted PAT to tie the game at 20 would give the Panthers a good opportunity to win the game in overtime. Yes, the Lions would get the ball back after a kickoff, but there would only be about one minute left in regulation, and the Panthers defense had begun playing better as the game wore on. Instead, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera decided to try a 2-point conversion, even though a successful try would not have ensured a victory. It is somewhat understandable that Rivera would have contemplated a 2-point try given that Panthers kicker Graham Gano had already missed an extra point and a short field goal attempt earlier in the game. However, Gano has only missed three extra points all year and, statistically speaking, would likely have made the PAT. The 2-point try failed, and the ensuing onside kick also failed, and the Lions went on to win the game.

Key observations:
• The Lions came into this contest with an excellent game plan. On offense, the Lions stayed very patient with their running game, and when did they did throw the ball, they emphasized getting the ball out of quarterback Matt Stafford’s hand quickly. Defensively, the Lions did an excellent job staying disciplined as well as stringing out plays from sideline to sideline.

• The Lions haven’t had much of a pass rush all year, but in this game, their rush showed up; linebacker Jarrad Davis did an excellent job blitzing.

• We feel that Lions head coach Matt Patricia and his staff did as good a job in this game as they have done all year. The Lions had recently traded wide receiver Golden Tate, were missing tight end Michael Roberts and had not been playing well as of late. Additionally, the Panthers were coming off a terrible Thursday night loss the previous week and had much motivation to perform better.

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Headcoachranking.com assigns a grade to the in-game performance of NFL head coaches each week.  Our knowledgeable graders analyze each head coach’s performance in 5 key areas of decision making. After determining their “HCR” (Head Coach Ranking), we rank them from best to worst. HCR rankings are posted every Tuesday of the NFL season, and fans will be able to track each coach’s performance throughout the season.

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