Carolina Panthers vs LOS ANGELES RAMS MEDIA INFORMATION WEEK 1 • SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 Carolina Panthers (0-0) VS Los Angeles Rams (0-0) BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM (73,778) SEPTEMBER 8, 2019 • 1:00 PM PANTHERS VS rams 2019 PANTHERS SCHEDULE • The Carolina Panthers kick off the 2019 season at home as they play host to the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams. • The Panthers enter the regular season following a 7-9 2018 campaign. After winning six of their first eight games, the Panthers finished the season ranked third in the NFC South. • The Los Angeles Rams went 13-3 last year, winning the NFC West and clinching the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The Rams advanced to Super Bowl LIII where they fell to the New England Patriots by a score of 13-3. • Carolina has faced the defending NFC Champion every year since 2008. The Panthers have won three of their last four matchups against defending NFC Champions. OPENING AT HOME This week's matchup marks just the third time under Ron Rivera that the Panthers have opened the regular season with a home game. Carolina is 4-4 in Week 1 games since Rivera was named head coach in 2011. Rivera has faced the Rams twice as Carolina's head coach and won both games (Week 7, 2013; Week 9, 2016). BROADCAST INFORMATION TELEVISION NATIONAL RADIO RADIO FLAGSHIP FOX Sports USA WBT (WJZY-TV in Charlotte) (1110 AM/99.3 FM) Play-by-Play: Chris Myers Play-by-Play: Larry Kahn Play-by-Play: Mick Mixon Analyst: Daryl Johnston Analyst: Charles Arbuckle Analyst: Jim Szoke Sideline: Laura Okmin Sideline: Troy West Analyst: Jake Delhomme Sideline: Caroline Cann PANTHERS COMMUNICATIONS Steven Drummond Vice President - Communications & External Affairs • Ryan Anderson Assistant Director of Communications Preston Edwards Communications Assistant • Maria Vanderford Media Relations Assistant WEEK 1 • CAROLINA PANTHERS VS LOS ANGELES RAMS 2018 REGULAR SEASON AVERAGES PANTHERS BESTS VS LA Rams Passing yards.............................................312, Chris Weinke (12/23/01) PANTHERS RAMS Rushing yards ......................................126, Anthony Johnson (10/31/96) OFFENSE Receiving yards ...........................................157, Willie Green (11/12/95) 373.3 (10th) Total Yards Per Game 421.1 (2nd) Sacks ..........................................................2.5, Kevin Greene (11/17/96) 133.5 (4th) Rushing Yards Per Game 139.4 (3rd) 5.13 (1st) Rushing Yards Per Attempt 4.86 (3rd) 254.4 (17th) Passing Net Yards Per Game 295.6 (5th) Previous results 32 (t-6th) Sacks Allowed 33 (t-24th) Panthers (13-8) vs Rams 41.6 (9th) Third Down Efficiency 45.0 (8th) Home: 6-4...Away: 7-4...Playoffs: 1-0 23.5 (t-14th) Points Per Game 32.9 (5th) 09/17/95 . .ST. LOUIS . .L . 10-31 (at Clemson) 11/12/95 . .at St. Louis . .L . 17-28 DEFENSE 10/13/96 . .ST. LOUIS . W . 45-13 353.2 (15th) Total Yards Per Game 358.6 (19th) 11/17/96 . .at St. Louis . W . 20-10 11/23/97 . .at St. Louis . W . 16-10 112.8 (12th) Rushing Yards Per Game 122.3 (23rd) 12/20/97 . .ST. LOUIS . .L . 18-30 4.7 (23rd) Rushing Yards Per Attempt 5.07 (32nd) 11/22/98 . .at St. Louis . W . 24-20 12/20/98 . .ST. LOUIS . W . 20-13 240.4 (18th) Passing Net Yards Per Game 236.3 (14th) 11/14/99 . .at St. Louis . .L . 10-35 35 (27th) Sacks 41 (15th) 12/05/99 . .ST. LOUIS . .L . 21-34 11/05/00 . .at St. Louis . W . 27-24 (Sunday Night) 39.9 (19th) Third Down Efficiency 37.2 (12th) 12/03/00 . .ST. LOUIS . W . 16-3 23.9 (19th) Points Per Game 24.0 (20th) 11/11/01 . .at St. Louis . .L . 14-48 12/23/01 . .ST. LOUIS . .L . 32-38 01/10/04 . .at St. Louis . W . 29-23 2OT (Divisional Round) 12/12/04 . .ST. LOUIS . W . 20-7 11/19/06 . .ST. LOUIS . W . 15-0 09/09/07 . .at St. Louis . W . 27-13 10/31/10 . .at St. Louis . .L . 10-20 10/20/13 . .ST. LOUIS . W . 30-15 11/06/16 . .at Los Angeles . W . 13-10 2018 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS PASSING Cam Newton Jared Goff 3,395 yds, 67.9 comp%, 4,688 yds, 64.9 comp% 24 TD, 13 INT, 94.2 rtg 32 TD, 12 INT, 101.1 rtg RUSHING Christian McCaffrey Todd Gurley 1,098 yds, 7 TD, 5.01 avg 1,251 yds, 17 TD, 4.89 avg RECEIVING Christian McCaffrey Robert Woods 867 yds, 107 rec, 6 TD 1,219 yds, 86 rec, 6 TD DJ Moore Brandin Cooks 788 yds, 55 rec, 2 TD 1,204 yds, 80 rec, 5 TD DEFENSE (PRESS BOX STATS) Luke Kuechly - 130 Tackles 125 - Cory Littleton Mario Addison - 9.0 Sacks 20.5 - Aaron Donald Donte Jackson - 4 Interceptions 4 - John Johnson PRESEASON RECAP PRESEASON RECORD • 2-2 INDIVIDUAL LEADERS HOME AWAY OFFENSE DEFENSE (PRESS BOX STATS) 8.8.19 13 - 23 PASSING TACKLES 8.16.19 Will Grier Jordan Kunaszyk 14 - 27 385 yards; 2 TD; 3 INT 18 tackles 34-of-61 (55.7%) Antwione Williams 8.22.19 3 - 10 65.3 passer rating 16 tackles 8.29.19 25 - 19 RUSHING SACKS Jordan Scarlett Brian Burns SACK PARTY 81 yards, 0 TD, 2.79 avg 4.0 sacks Elijah Holyfield Marquis Haynes 79 yards, 1 TD, 4.16 avg 4.0 sacks 4th most by any team • in the 2019 preseason ttotalotal sackssacks RECEIVING INTERCEPTIONS 1166 Reggie Bonnafon Jordan Kunaszyk 139 yards, 13 receptions, 0 TD 1 INT DeAndrew White Lorenzo Doss Only NFL team to have two players record 4.0+ sacks each 122 yards, 6 receptions, 0 TD 1 INT 53 BRIAN 98 MARQUIS BURNS HAYNES fresh legs 4.0* Sacks 4.0* 22 Sack Yards 38 The Panthers signed kicker Joey Slye one week before the 4 QB Hits 7 preseason opener at Chicago. *tied for third-most by any player in the NFL* Slye went 7-for-8 on his field goal attempts, with one kick blocked. He also converted all 4 PAT attempts. Slye was one of just two kickers Spider-Burns in the league to convert three field goals from 50+ yards, as Carolina's 2019 first-round draft pick LB/DE Brian Burns he drilled attempts from 59, 55 posted two multi-sack games in his first career NFL pre- and 54 yards out. season. His 25 points scored this pre- Burns and LB/DE Marquis Haynes led the team with 4.0 sacks season were the most on the apiece, tying them for the third-most sacks in the NFL and team and tied him for the the second-most by a Panthers player in a single preseason eighth most in the NFL. since 2000. PANTHERS-RAMS CONNECTIONS Pro Connections College Connections • Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera and Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner • Panthers S Eric Reid and G Trai Turner played at LSU with Rams DL both coached for the Chargers in San Diego during the fi rst years of Rams Michael Brockers. S Eric Weddle’s NFL career in San Diego. At the time, Turner was the head • Carolina RB Reggie Bonnafon played for the Louisville Cardinals with coach of the Chargers who drafted Weddle out of Utah and Rivera was the Rams OLB Trevon Young. fi rst defensive coordinator Weddle played for in the NFL. • Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera and LB Jordan Kunaszyk attended • Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay served as the offensive co- California, the same school that Rams QB Jared Goff attended. ordinator for the Washington Redskins while Panthers Secondary Coach • Panthers S Rashaan Gaulden and P Michael Palardy were college Perry Fewell coached the defensive backs for Washington. Fewell also teammates with Rams second year RB John Kelly. served as the secondary coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars during the • Panthers C Matt Paradis anchored the Boise State offensive line while 2017 and 2018 seasons, while Rams backup QB Blake Bortles was the teammates with Rams DB Don’t’e Deayton during their time playing starting quarterback for Jacksonville and DE Dante Fowler Jr. played for for the Broncos. the Jaguars. • Fewell worked closely with Rams Cornerbacks Coach Aubrey Pleasant during his time in Washington, as both coached the defensive back unit Regional Connections alongside McVay for the Redskins. • Rams Assistant Special Teams Coach Matt Daniels played safety at • Three Panthers coaches spent time with Rams organization at vari- Duke University in Durham, NC. ous points in their careers. Carolina Offensive Coordinator Norv Turner coached wide receivers for Rams from 1985 to 1990 during the fran- chise’s fi rst stint in Los Angeles. For two seasons Panthers Secondary Coach Perry Fewell held the same position for the Rams and Running Game Coordinator John Matsko coached the offensive line for the Rams, both during the time the franchise played in St. Louis. • Panthers DT Gerald McCoy spent the fi rst nine seasons of his career for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the fi rst three of which on the same defense as Rams CB Aqib Talib. Talib also played two seasons with Panthers DT Kyle Love for the New England Patriots. After leaving New England, Talib played for the Denver Broncos from 2014 to 2017. During his Broncos tenure, Talib played with Panthers C Matt Paradis. • Carolina TE Chris Manhertz spent the 2016 season with Los Angeles WR Brandin Cooks while both played for the New Orleans Saints. • Following his season in New Orleans, Cooks played one season with the New England Patriots while newly-acquired Panthers WR Chris Hogan was also on the Patriots receiving corps.