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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