NFL
NFL Week 12
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Up to date 35s in the past
Bryce Younger and the Carolina Panthers head out west to face Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Evening Soccer.”
Comply with our writers for information, updates and evaluation on tonight's sport.
Take a look at this week’s live coverage schedule on The Athletic
It’s been a stellar rookie season for Tetairoa McMillan. He leads the Panthers in receiving yards with 748, together with 54 catches and 4 touchdowns.
He’s second within the NFL amongst WR rookies in receiving yards. T-Mac joined Ja’Marr Chase, Malik Nabers, Puka Nacua and Chris Olave as the one rookies within the final 5 seasons to document 50-plus catches & 700-plus yards within the first 11 video games.
Based mostly on warmups, 49ers rookie linebacker Nick Martin will proceed his function as strongside linebacker and Spencer Burford will begin at left guard. He’s been alternating sequence with Ben Bartch.
San Francisco 49ers legend Roger Craig is in attendance tonight for “Monday Evening Soccer.” He embraced present 49ers working again Christian McCaffrey pregame.
The Panthers have been hit and miss overlaying tight ends this 12 months, and George Kittle is without doubt one of the finest receiving tight ends of all time. Kittle missed 5 video games after injuring his hamstring in Week 1. However he seems to be again to his outdated kind: Kittle has 19 receptions on 19 targets the previous three video games (and 27 catches on 30 targets for the season).
Jaycee Horn is having a strong season. The Panthers cornerback is main the workforce in interceptions with three. He additionally has 15 solo tackles.
It will likely be fascinating to see which receiver Horn matches up towards. He might want to play a fantastic sport if the Panthers are going to win tonight.
To be clear, Christian McCaffrey is a matchup nightmare for any protection. And the Panthers’ success limiting Bijan Robinson within the second half final week is encouraging. Regardless of lacking beginning linebackers Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom, the Panthers imagine they’ll maintain McCaffrey in verify within the run sport by getting plenty of defenders to the ball. However having backup LBs Claudin Cherelus and Krys Barnes cope with the slippery McCaffrey in move protection is a troublesome ask.
Along with Bryce Younger, it’s been a pleasant season for the Panthers speeding assault. Rico Dowdle is the anchor for Carolina’s floor sport. He leads the workforce with 833 speeding yards (eighth within the NFL) and has 5 touchdowns.
Dowdle is one in every of 4 NFC working backs with an energetic streak of fifty scrimmage yards in seven-plus consecutive video games. In two of his previous three highway video games, Dowdle has 80-plus yards and a landing.
Dave Canales will attempt to set up the bottom sport towards Robert Saleh’s protection. However there ought to be alternatives for large performs within the passing sport, given the Niners’ putrid move rush. With Nick Bosa amongst three move rushers on IR, San Francisco is final within the league with 12 sacks. The 49ers final week allowed Jacoby Brissett to drop again practically 60 instances and by no means sacked him. Bryce Younger ought to have time to seek out explosive performs downfield to Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.
The Carolina Panthers must attempt to cease their former working again with out their two beginning inside linebackers.
Christian Rozeboom (hip/hamstring) and Trevin Wallace (shoulder) lead the record of inactives because the Panthers put together to face the San Francisco 49ers and Christian McCaffrey. Rozeboom, the workforce’s main tackler, and Wallace have been each dominated out Saturday so their inclusion on the inactives wasn’t a shock. Claudin Cherelus and Krys Barnes will change them within the beginning lineup.
Middle Cade Mays (ankle) can be inactive, with veteran Austin Corbett stepping in for him. The Panthers’ wholesome scratches are WR Hunter Renfrow, DL Jared Harrison-Hunte, TE James Mitchell and DL Cam Jackson.
Beneath are the Carolina Panthers inactives for tonight’s “Monday Evening Soccer” sport:
There aren’t any surprises amongst at the moment’s inactives. Eddy Pineiro, Tatum Bethune and Robert Beal Jr. have been dominated out on the finish of the follow week. They’ll get replaced by Matt Homosexual, Curtis Robinson and Clelin Ferrell, respectively. Jalen Graham, who was elevated from the follow squad at the moment, seemingly would be the backup center linebacker behind Robinson.
Givens, in the meantime, is a wholesome scratch for the second straight week with rookie CJ West enjoying defensive sort out with the second-team line as a substitute. Jordan Watkins has been inactive since fellow receiver Ricky Pearsall returned from his knee challenge. Jordan James has been a wholesome scratch all season.
Beneath are the inactives for the San Francisco 49ers tonight:
There already was a ton of intrigue surrounding the Carolina Panthers’ “Monday Evening Soccer” sport, given how sometimes they play in prime time and the presence of a sure working again on the opposite sideline.
Then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers misplaced to the L.A. Rams on Sunday – and misplaced Baker Mayfield to a shoulder harm within the course of – and you’ll virtually really feel the excitement in Charlotte from out right here on the West Coast.
The Panthers (6-5) can finish the night time in sole possession of first place within the NFC South, a place they haven’t held this late since Week 17 of their Tremendous Bowl season of 2015. However first there’s the matter of beating the San Francisco 49ers, which isn’t any small activity.
Over the following a number of minutes, let’s go over what I’ll be watching at Levi’s Stadium (the place the Panthers ended that 2015 season in Tremendous Bowl 50).
It was a profession sport final week for Bryce Younger. The Panthers QB recorded 448 passing yards within the 30-27 extra time win over the Falcons. Younger surpassed Cam Newton for probably the most single-game passing yards in Panthers franchise historical past.
Younger additionally did Newton's signature “dab” transfer after the sport. It's been a enjoyable season for the 2023 No. 1 decide, which may get even higher with a win on “Monday Evening Soccer” over the 49ers.
That is the twenty fourth time that the Panthers and 49ers have squared off. Carolina leads the profession head-to-head 13-10-0.
The final time they performed one another was Oct. 9, 2022. The 49ers trounced the Panthers 37-15 behind a two-touchdown efficiency from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Christian McCaffrey, a member of the Panthers, ran for 54 yards and had one speeding landing within the dropping effort.
The gifted San Francisco 49ers large receiving corps that racked up 2,785 yards, 18 touchdowns and helped the workforce attain the Tremendous Bowl simply two seasons in the past?
There’s a superb probability it’ll be entirely gone by the spring.
That’s a logical conclusion after Friday’s information that Brandon Aiyuk, who hasn’t performed a sport for the 49ers in 13 months, has missed workforce conferences and different actions in current months, prompting the 49ers to void the assured cash in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026. That seemingly heralds a break up through the upcoming offseason, simply 15 months after the 2 sides agreed to an enormous, four-year contract extension.
GO FURTHER
49ers’ offseason venture: Restocking their once-powerful receiving corps
George Kittle has been a catalyst for the 49ers all through his profession, and the final couple of weeks are simply an instance of his influence on this offense.
The veteran tight finish has a landing in three of his previous 4 video games, most not too long ago catching six passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns towards Arizona. The week prior, Kittle caught 9 passes for 84 yards and a rating.
He additionally has been pivotal within the run sport, serving to liberate Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson together with his blocking potential.
After being sidelined with a knee harm since Week 4, Ricky Pearsall made his return to the San Francisco lineup in Week 11 however had an especially quiet sport.
The second-year wideout was focused simply twice, catching a single move for no yards. Earlier than this efficiency, Pearsall had eclipsed 100-plus yards in two of the 4 video games.
Pearsall will look to bounce again tonight, shaking off the rust of his prolonged absence.
Amidst an injury-plagued season for the 49ers, Christian McCaffrey has arguably been probably the most constant participant within the NFL.
He entered Week 12 main the league in carries, speeding for 707 yards with six touchdowns … to not point out his manufacturing within the passing sport. McCaffrey already has caught 74 passes for 732 yards with 5 touchdowns as he’s on tempo for each 1,000 yards speeding and receiving.
