The Carolina Panthers’ first win of the 2022 regular season was headlined by an unlikely hero. So will that hero’s performance allow him more chances to save his team in the coming weeks?
Let’s take a look at this Sunday’s snap count standouts for the 22-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
A dashing debut
For the first time since trading for the former second-round pick back on Aug. 29, the Panthers put Laviska Shenault Jr. in a uniform and out on an actual playing field. In turn, he did not disappoint.
Shenault Jr. played just 11 offensive snaps in his 2022 debut, but accounted for 60.8 percent of his team’s net passing yardage on the day. The bulk of that output came on his first grab—a 67-yard catch-and-run to the end zone in the fourth quarter that answered a Saints touchdown the possession prior.
His second catch, which materialized in another big spot to help his offense burn some late-game clock, was a 23-yard catch-and-run that picked up the sticks on a third-and-14 attempt. Both plays served as a sweet reminder of why Carolina made a move on the talented ball carrier.
He also fielded a pair of kickoffs over his three snaps on special teams, running those out for returns of 18 yards and 36 yards.
Wide-outs
Free-agent acquisition Rashard Higgins also notched his first snaps of the season. Unfortunately, though, they didn’t amount to anything.
The seventh-year veteran was on the field for six offensive plays. He was targeted zero times.
Additionally, fellow left-out wideout Terrace Marshall Jr., who also hasn’t been thrown to here in 2022, wasn’t even active for the contest. They’ve now combined for 12 offensive snaps and zero targets through three games.
So—with opportunities still out of reach and Shenault Jr. perhaps beginning to break out—the roles of both Higgins and Marshall Jr. seem to be even murkier moving forward.
The complete LB?
This past Thursday, defensive coordinator Phil Snow told reporters that Frankie Luvu is getting closer to becoming a complete linebacker. Well, he might be right—because he played a complete game in Week 3.
Luvu, who played in 96 percent of his unit’s snaps in Week 2, was present for every single one of the defense’s 69 snaps on Sunday. His nice outing was headlined by a forced fumble of running back Alvin Kamara, one that was scooped up and away to the end zone for a 44-yard return by defensive end Marquis Haynes Sr.
With the defense coming into 2022 needing a little extra “dawg in them,” Luvu has been the man to provide it.
