NFL Week 3 PFF ReFocused: Carolina Panthers 38, Arizona Cardinals 20

Kyle Allen and Christian McCaffrey were stunning in the Carolina Panthers‘ 38-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

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Final Score

Carolina Panthers 38, Arizona Cardinals 20

Carolina Panthers

Kyle Allen did a tremendous job filling in for Cam Newton, completing 19-of-26 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns. He did fumble twice, but he didn't throw any interceptions and never really even came close to it.

Christian McCaffrey came up big when the Panthers needed him, as it was huge 76-yard touchdown that really changed this game. McCaffrey was dynamic throughout this entire contest, playing physical while also making guys miss with his agility and speed.

Brian Burns gave Jordan Mills fits all game off the edge. He used both a speed move to beat him around the edge as well as an up and under move to beat him inside.

Donte Jackson had one bad bust in coverage in the game, but other than that, he made a number of great plays on the ball including two interceptions. The second interception he baited Kyler Murray into throwing the hole shot, which sealed the game for the Panthers.

Rookie Takeaways

Greg Little should finish reviews as one of Carolina's highest-graded players. He turned in a strong performance in both pass protection and as a run-blocker. Burns was also outstanding rushing off the edge.

Arizona Cardinals

Chandler Jones was a force as a pass-rusher, as he finished with two strip-sacks of Kyle Allen, both coming off of sick outside moves. Jones also made a few nice plays in the run game. but he really was dominant rushing the passer.

It was a rough go of it for safety D.J. Swearinger. While he did finish with five tackles, he was beaten in coverage throughout the game and swallowed up in the run game often, as well.

Kyler Murray struggled to get into a rhythm in the pocket outside of the quick passing game. Anytime he tried to throw downfield, he had to scramble around to buy time. He forced a couple of throws into tight coverage which resulted in interceptions. Most of the accurate throws he made downfield resulted in dropped passes by his wide receivers.

The Cardinals' offensive line really struggled in pass protection in this game. Both tackles, Jordan Mills and DJ Humphries, had a tough time keeping Brian Burns and Christian Miller away from Kyler Murray.

Rookie Takeaways

Byron Murphy and Zach Allen both struggled in this one. And Murray had an up-and-down performance with a mix of great throws and some really bad ones.