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What the Panthers’ Best and Worst PFF Grades Tell Us in Week 3
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- What the Panthers’ Best and Worst PFF Grades Tell Us in Week 3
The Carolina Panthers were unable to build off their positive momentum from Week 2 in Week 3.
After throttling the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 , the Panthers went to Cleveland and suffered a devastating loss to the Browns on Sunday. It was a sloppy game on both sides of the ball, and it's just a disappointing loss because this schedule is very tough. You can't lose to the Browns when you have one of the hardest schedules in the league.
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So, how did the loss happen? Let's take a look and see who had the highest and lowest PFF grades .
Best of the offense
Sep 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham (94) sacks Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
1. LG Damien Lewis : 89.7
2. WR Brycen Tremayne : 77.7
3. TE Mitchell Evans : 71.9
4. TE Tommy Tremble : 71.8
5. QB Bryce Young : 70.0
Damien Lewis was the only offensive lineman to perform on Sunday. It's unfortunate that he went down with an injury, but he did end up returning. This is the second week in a row in which Lewis has been the only above-average lineman.
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Tremayne stepped up in a big way with Jalen Coker out after the third quarter and Xavier Legette not playing. The Browns made it a point to not let Coker and Tetairoa McMillan beat them, but Tremayne was impressive.
It's a shock to see Evans and Tremble here. Neither tight end had done much heading into the week, and it looked like Darren Waller was taking over.
Young's stats aren't the best, and his interception at the end isn't great, but this loss is not on him. He had pressure in his face all day and still graded out as one of the best offensive players, if that tells you anything.
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Worst of the offense
12. RB AJ Dillon : 53.9
13. RG Robert Hunt : 53.9
14. RT Monroe Freeling: 52.7
15. LT Rasheed Walker : 49.5
16. C Luke Fortner : 45.6
So, it's probably not ideal that four of the five starting offensive linemen had the four lowest grades on the offense. Every lineman except Lewis played terribly, and that's unsustainable going forward.
A.J. Dillon also disappointed. Brad Idzik wanted the veteran to be heavily involved with Jonathon Brooks out, but Dillon ended with 14 total yards, rushing and receiving.
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Best of the defense
1. ILB Tyrel Dodson : 83.8
2. DT Derrick Brown : 82.4
3. DT Lee Hunter: 74.8
4. OLB Trevis Gipson : 73.7
5. CB Akayleb Evans : 69.7
It was nice to see Dodson step up with Devin Lloyd out. Dodson ended with six tackles on the day.
It's a GREAT sign that Brown and Hunter had the next highest grades. Both linemen were majorly disappointing over the first two weeks, so hopefully they've turned a corner.
Worst of the defense
14. S Tre'von Moehrig: 56.3
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15. S Zakee Wheatley: 54.0
16. S Lathan Ransom : 50.7
17. OLB Princely Umanmielen : 49.7
18. CB Mike Jackson : 47.5
Jackson may have ended with the worst grade, but he left early with an injury . Despite the worst grades almost all being defensive backs, the pass defense actually kept the Browns in check overall.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
