NFL
NFL Week 12
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Bryce Younger and the Carolina Panthers head out west to face Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Evening Soccer.”
Observe our writers for information, updates and evaluation on tonight's sport.
Try this week’s live coverage schedule on The Athletic
The Star-Spangled Banner is carried out forward of tonight’s “Monday Evening Soccer.” We’re moments away from kickoff of tonight‘s pivotal sport.
Get excited, soccer followers!
Tonight is the primary Monday Evening Soccer sport for the Carolina Panthers for the reason that 2023 season. It’s additionally been a very long time for the reason that Panthers have been above .500 at Week 12 of the season.
The final time this occurred was 2018 when the Panthers have been additionally 6-5. Carolina hasn’t made the playoffs for the reason that 2017 season.
Final week of their 30-27 extra time win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers turned the primary group for the reason that San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 of the 2024 season to have 5 gamers with 50-plus receiving yards in the identical sport. These gamers have been Tetairoa McMillan (130), Xavier Legette (83), Rico Dowdle (55), Tommy Tremble (54), and Jalen Coker (52).
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 report 50-plus catches & 700-plus yards within the first 11 video games.
Primarily based 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 collection 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 protecting tight ends this 12 months, and George Kittle is among 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 previous 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 stable season. The Panthers cornerback is main the group in interceptions with three. He additionally has 15 solo tackles.
Will probably be fascinating to see which receiver Horn matches up in opposition to. He might want to play an excellent 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 loads of defenders to the ball. However having backup LBs Claudin Cherelus and Krys Barnes take care of the slippery McCaffrey in cross protection is a tricky 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 group with 833 speeding yards (eighth within the NFL) and has 5 touchdowns.
Dowdle is one in every of 4 NFC working backs with an lively streak of fifty scrimmage yards in seven-plus consecutive video games. In two of his previous three street video games, Dowdle has 80-plus yards and a landing.
Dave Canales will attempt to set up the bottom sport in opposition to Robert Saleh’s protection. However there must be alternatives for giant performs within the passing sport, given the Niners’ putrid cross rush. With Nick Bosa amongst three cross rushers on IR, San Francisco is final within the league with 12 sacks. The 49ers final week allowed Jacoby Brissett to drop again almost 60 instances and by no means sacked him. Bryce Younger ought to have time to search 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 group’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 substitute them within the beginning lineup.
Heart Cade Mays (ankle) can also 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 are not any surprises amongst as we speak’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 as we speak, doubtless 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 taking part in defensive deal with with the second-team line as an alternative. Jordan Watkins has been inactive since fellow receiver Ricky Pearsall returned from his knee difficulty. 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 nearly really feel the excitement in Charlotte from out right here on the West Coast.
The Panthers (6-5) can finish the evening 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 may be the matter of beating the San Francisco 49ers, which isn’t any small job.
Over the subsequent 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 might 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 shedding effort.
The proficient San Francisco 49ers extensive receiving corps that racked up 2,785 yards, 18 touchdowns and helped the group attain the Tremendous Bowl simply two seasons in the past?
There’s likelihood 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 group conferences and different actions in latest months, prompting the 49ers to void the assured cash in Aiyuk’s contract for 2026. That doubtless heralds a cut up through the upcoming offseason, simply 15 months after the 2 sides agreed to an enormous, four-year contract extension.
GO FURTHER
49ers’ offseason challenge: Restocking their once-powerful receiving corps
