Rivera facing Carolina for first time as Washington coach
CAROLINA (4-10) at WASHINGTON (6-8)
Saturday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE - Washington by 3
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Panthers 7-7, Washington 8-4-2
SERIES RECORD - Washington leads 9-6
LAST MEETING - Washington beat Panthers 29-21 at Carolina on Dec. 1, 2019
LAST WEEK - Panthers lost to Packers 24-16; Washington lost to Seahawks 20-15
AP PRO32 RANKING - Panthers No. 27, Washington No. 16
PANTHERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (20), RUSH (20), PASS (16)
PANTHERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (19), RUSH (18), PASS (19)
WASHINGTON OFFENSE - OVERALL (29), RUSH (25) PASS (25)
WASHINGTON DEFENSE - OVERALL (4), RUSH (13), PASS (3)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Washington has won the past two meetings. ... Last year's meeting at Carolina was now-Washington coach Ron Rivera's final game before he was fired by the Panthers. ... Rivera coached the Panthers for nine seasons, including 2015 when they went 15-1 and reached the Super Bowl. ... The Panthers have lost eight of their last nine games and have been eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season. ... They fired general manager Marty Hurney on Monday, 14 games into coach Matt Rhule's first season. ... Carolina has lost eight games in which QB Teddy Bridgewater had the ball in his hands late in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead or tie the score. ... Bridgewater has 10 TDs (8 passing, 2 rushing) and three interceptions in seven road starts this season. ... RB Christian McCaffrey has missed 11 games this season with injuries and is doubtful to play at Washington. ... RB Mike Davis had 59 yards rushing last week and is third among running backs with a career-high 59 receptions this season. ... WR D.J. Moore had six catches for 131 yards last week, marking his third game this season with at least 120 yards receiving. ... Moore (1,055) and Robby Anderson (1,017) are the only wide receiving tandem in the NFL with 1,000 yards receiving. ... The Panthers allow 2.1 sacks a game. ... Rookie DT Derrick Brown, the No. 7 pick in the draft, had his first two career sacks last week. ... S Jeremy Chinn leads all rookies with 100 tackles this season and has also scored two defensive touchdowns. ... Washington had its four-game winning streak snapped with its loss to Seattle last week. ... QB Alex Smith missed the Seahawks game with a right calf injury and could be out again. Smith is 4-1 since becoming the starter. ... Dwayne Haskins would get a second consecutive start if Smith can't play. ... Haskins was fined by the team and stripped of his captaincy this week for violating COVID-19 protocols. It's his second protocol fine this season. ... Standout rookie RB Antonio Gibson has missed two games in a row with a toe injury. ... J.D. McKissic had a career-high 107 yards from scrimmage last week while replacing Gibson as the starter. ... WR Terry McLaurin has been playing through an ankle injury since before Thanksgiving. ... TE Logan Thomas had a career-high 13 catches for 101 yards against Seattle. ... RG Brandon Scherff could be taking part in his final regular-season home game for Washington during another Pro Bowl season, which he is playing on the franchise tag. ... Rookie DE Chase Young is the youngest player in franchise history to be chosen for the Pro Bowl. ... Washington signed LB Mychal Kendricks after Cole Holcomb missed the game last week with a concussion and Shaun Dion Hamilton was placed on injured reserve with an elbow injury. Fantasy tip: If Gibson is back, he'll get the bulk of the carries and could return to the form that led to 11 touchdown runs in his first 12 NFL games.
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