Matchup Notes
--Cam Newton was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday after he engineered his 17th career game-winning drive on Sunday, leading Carolina back from a 17-0 fourth-quarter deficit to win 21-17. Newton threw for 201 yards on 16-of-22 passing for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and he now ranks second in the NFL in fourth quarter passing yards (689) and tied for second in fourth quarter passing touchdowns (6). He has topped 200 yards in the fourth quarter in two different games this year, the only NFL QB to do so.
--Luke Kuechly finished with a game-high 18 tackles (coaches stats), including four for loss, at Philadelphia. He also had a sack, his second of the season. Kuechly made three of his four stops for loss in the fourth quarter as Carolina held the Eagles to just 22 total yards, one first down and a turnover to help spark the comeback. Kuechly has nine tackles for loss this season, tying for fourth in the NFL.
--Devin Funchess tallied 62 receiving yards on six catches, including an 18-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. It marked the second consecutive week that Funchess had a receiving touchdown. With 2,058 career receiving yards, Funchess passed Ted Ginn (2,047) for 8th place in receiving yards in franchise history. He also passed Stephen Davis (120) for 10th place in career points.
--Carolina leads the series with Baltimore, 3-2, including a 2-1 record at home in Charlotte. The Panthers won the first three games in the series, while Baltimore has won the last two in 2010 and 2014.
--Sunday's game against Baltimore will feature a matchup of five of the top six active players in career tackles as Thomas Davis (1,009), Eric Weddle (1,000), Luke Kuechly (871), Terrell Suggs (830) and Mike Adams (824) take the field. Julius Peppers, Suggs and Adams are the three longest-tenured defensive players currently active in the NFL.
--Baltimore features the NFL's top defense, averaging just 280.6 yards allowed. The last time that Carolina faced the NFL's top defense in the regular season was Week 15 of 2011 when they faced the Houston Texans who were first that week.
Upcoming Milestones
Panthers players have a number of career milestones that could be in reach for Sunday's game:
--Cam Newton (31,078) needs 350 total yards to pass Dan Marino (31,427) for second-most combined yards (passing and rushing) after a quarterback's first eight seasons.
--Newton (57) needs one rushing touchdown to tie Jonathan Stewart (58) for second in total touchdowns in franchise history.
--Devin Funchess (146) needs 6 receptions to pass Kris Mangum (151) for 10th in catches in franchise history.
--Christian McCaffrey (940) needs 60 receiving yards to become just the fourth running back in franchise history with 1,000 receiving yards. He would become the 22nd player with 1,000 receiving yards in franchise history.
--Julius Peppers (51) needs two forced fumbles to pass Robert Mathis (52) for most forced fumbles since 2000.
--Luke Kuechly (995) needs needs five tackles (coaches stats) to become the second player in franchise history with 1,000 career tackles.
--Thomas Davis (166) needs one game played to tie Jordan Gross (167) for third all-time in franchise history in career games played.
Connections
--Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh coached together on the Eagles staff from 1999-2003. They also coached with Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg in 2003.
--Panthers offensive line coach John Matsko coached with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg and offensive assistant Craig Van Steeg on the Ravens staff from 2008-10.
--Panthers running backs coach Jim Skipper entered the professional coaching ranks with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars from 1983-85.
--Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith was drafted by the Ravens in 2011 and played his first four seasons with Baltimore. Smith is a native of Falmouth, Va., and went to college at Maryland.
--Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead IV spent time on the Panthers practice squad in 2014.
--Panthers tight end Ian Thomas is a native of Baltimore, Md..
--Panthers linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. is a native of Rockville, Md. and went to school at Maryland along with Smith and Panthers wide receiver DJ Moore.
--Ravens defensive back Anthony Levine Sr. is from Winston-Salem, N.C. Ravens wide receivers coach Bobby Engram is a native of Camden, S.C. Ravens specialist coach Randy Brown attend Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. Ravens defensive quality control coach Sterling Lucas is a native of Orangeburg, SC and played collegiately at NC State. Upon graduation, Lucas joined NC State's coaching staff from 2013-15.
--Ravens tackle James Hurst played collegiately at the University of North Carolina. Ravens guard Matt Skura played collegiately at Duke. Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst played collegiately at South Carolina.
