Panthers Sign Chris Hogan

The Carolina Panthers have signed veteran free-agent receiver Chris Hogan to a one-year deal, according to multiple reports. Hogan spent the previous three years with the New England Patriots, reaching the Super Bowl in each season and winning the Lombardi Trophy twice.

Hogan struggled as the Patriots' featured wideout in 2018 when Julian Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances. Having trouble breaking through the Patriots' undermanned receiver corps all year, Hogan caught just 35 passes and three TDs. He did turn those catches into 532 yards (15.2 yards per reception) and remained a deep-threat option because of his physical frame. The 6'1"/215 lb wideout could provide a red zone option for Panthers QB Cam Newton.

Turning 32 in October, Hogan will be the oldest wide receiver on Carolina's roster. D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel are the featured wideouts for the Panthers, while Hogan and 30-year-old Torrey Smith will play complementary roles.

Hogan accumulated 107 receptions for 1,651 yards and 12 touchdowns in 40 regular-season games for the Patriots from 2016-18 . 

Hogan will be best remembered for his incredible performance in the 2016 AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the Patriots' victory over the Steelers, Hogan registered nine receptions for 180 yards—a single-game playoff franchise record for receiving yards—with two touchdowns.

NFL Power Rankings Week 11

1. Los Angeles Rams (9-1)

Todd Gurley extended his franchise-record of consecutive games with a touchdown (13), totaling 160 yards. Jared Goff threw for two touchdowns and wideout Brandin Cooks posted 119 total yards with a rushing touchdown, as the Rams beat the Seahawks to close in on a second consecutive division title.

Aaron Donald, well on his way towards collecting a second straight Defensive Player of the Year Award, amassed 2.5 sacks.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)

The Chiefs sacked Cardinals rookie quarterback Josh Rosen five times and intercepted two of his passes.

Tyreek Hill paced the offense, registering 117 receiving yards with two scores and adding 20 yards on the ground in the 26-14 victory.

3. New Orleans Saints (8-1)

The Saints, winners of eight straight, are the hottest team in football and Drew Brees is playing MVP-level quarterback. He tossed three touchdown passes to give him 508 for his legendary career, moving ahead of Brett Favre for second-most TD passes all-time.

Michael Thomas caught two touchdown passes in the Saints’ spanking of the host Bengals.

Drew Brees is vying for his first MVP this season. (Getty Images)

4. Los Angeles Chargers (7-2)

Melvin Gordon totaled 165 yards versus the Raiders, including 93 yards on the ground and 72 yards receiving with a touchdown reception for the Chargers, who have quietly won six straight.

The Chargers own the second-best record in the AFC.

5. New England Patriots (7-3)

The Patriots allowed a season-high three sacks and rushed for only 40 yards. Tom Brady did not throw a TD and was pulled with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The 24-point loss to the Titans tied the highest margin of defeat for a Brady-led team.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2-1)

Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 of 25 passes for 328 yards and five touchdowns, posting a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating in the Steelers’ 52-21 whooping of the Panthers on Thursday Night Football.

7. Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1)

The Vikings return to action for a divisional showdown versus the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Chicago.

8. Chicago Bears (6-3)

Mitchell Trubisky threw for 355 yards with three touchdowns and Allen Robinson had his best game as a member of the Bears, corralling six passes for 133 yards with two TDs against Detroit. Rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller had 122 receiving yards of his own and caught a touchdown.

9. Carolina Panthers (6-3)

Carolina, which tied a franchise record for most points allowed with 52, has never won at Pittsburgh (0-4).

10. Houston Texans (6-3)

The Texans, riding a six-game win streak and sitting atop the AFC South, return from their bye to play the NFC East-leading Redskins.

11. Washington Redskins (6-3)

The Redskins gave up over 500 yards of offense, but somehow held the Buccaneers to just three points in a commanding road victory.

12. Tennessee Titans (5-4)

Head coach Mike Vrabel, who played for New England for eight seasons, led his Titans to a blowout win over his former coach Bill Belichick and the visiting Patriots. Marcus Mariota threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns. Corey Davis shined in the passing attack, catching seven balls for 125 yards and a TD.

The Titans turned 36 rushing attempts into 150 yards. Derrick Henry had a game-high 58 rushing yards with two touchdowns. Former Patriots running back Dion Lewis rushed for 57 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards.

13. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

Losers of four of their last five following a pounding at the hands of the Saints, the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Head coach Marvin Lewis will take over the defensive playcalling duties.

14. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)

The Ravens had an eventful bye with news coming out midweek that struggling QB Joe Flacco may miss time with a hip injury.

On Sunday, reports surfaced that the Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh are heading for a “mutual parting of the ways.”

15. Philadelphia Eagles (4-5)

The Eagles looked awful on Sunday Night Football, despite having an extra week to prepare for the Cowboys. The defending champions are in serious danger of missing the postseason.

Rest of the Pack

16. Green Bay Packers (4-4-1)

17. Atlanta Falcons (4-5)

18. Seattle Seahawks (4-5)

19. Dallas Cowboys (4-5)

20. Miami Dolphins (5-5)

21. Indianapolis Colts (4-5)

22. Cleveland Browns (3-6-1)

23. Detroit Lions (3-6)

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6)

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6)

26. Denver Broncos (3-6)

27. Buffalo Bills (3-7)

28. New York Jets (3-7)

29. New York Giants (2-7)

30. Arizona Cardinals (2-7)

31. San Francisco 49ers (2-8)

32. Oakland Raiders (1-8)

Week 3 Roundup: Panthers Obliterate Reeling Giants; Maligned Browns Temporarily Silence Critics Behind Brian Hoyer

Carolina Panthers 38, New York Giants  0

The Carolina Panthers have suffered some excruciating losses in the Ron Rivera era. Since Rivera took over the coaching duties in 2011, the club has posted a dismal 2-14 mark in games decided by 7 points or less. The Panthers (1-2) shredded some of their frustration from their recent gut-wrenching losses by compiling arguably their most satisfying win in Rivera's tenure on Sunday, demolishing the hapless New York Giants (0-3) 38-0 in front of their home crowd in Charlotte.

The front-seven of the Panthers continues to look like one of the best in football after another notable effort on Sunday. The Panthers made Eli Manning’s life a living hell, sacking the two-time Super Bowl champion seven times (6 of which came in the first half) as the Giants offense looked pitiful all afternoon.

Cam Newton flashed his dynamic skills at quarterback, tossing three touchdowns passes and rushing a TD score in the Panthers most lopsided victory in franchise history. Newton amassed 223 passing yards and threw two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell and one to Ted Ginn Jr. Playing out of the read option on some designated run plays, Newton rushed for 45 yards on seven carries, including a TD run that witnessed him drag defenders into the end zone with him before he let out a ferocious yell.

Cam Newton fired up the Panthers home crowd in their 38-0 thrashing of the sinking Giants. ( Mike McCarn- AP)

The Panthers' blowout victory should temporarily halt questions related to Ron Rivera’s job security. Rivera and the Panthers head into their bye week 1-2, but their defense is playing at a championship level. If the Panthers can consistently play this caliber of defense, then they have a realistic shot at making their first playoff appearance since 2008.

The Giants, meanwhile, have been an utter disaster through the first three games of the 2013 season.  The G-Men have been outscored 115-54 (an average of 38.3 to 18 per game). They have a recorded a mere 133 rushing yards through their first 3 games, the fifth fewest yards to start a season in the Super-Bowl Era, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The club is in complete disarray after totaling just 18 first-half yards and three turnovers in the contest, bringing their season total of giveaways to a whopping 13.

The 38-0 loss was the worst defeat for the Giants in the Tom Coughlin era. 

Cleveland Browns 31, Minnesota Vikings 27

The Cleveland Browns were ridiculed the entire week after trading running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2014 first-round pick. The deal was perceived as the waving of the white flag by the Browns. Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft, was viewed as a cornerstone piece of the Browns’ future by former team president Mike Holmgren. Holmgren blasted the shocking trade made by the new regime spearheaded by GM Mike Lombardi.  Other critics asserted the club had quit on the 2013 season and had entered full-NBA-tank-mode before the calendar had even flipped to October.

Determined to silence their detractors, the Browns coaching staff and players mustered an impressive 31-27 road win over the Minnesota Vikings behind third-string QB Brian Hoyer, who threw for 321 yards in the victory. The Browns (1-2) gave the nod to Hoyer over backup Jason Campbell with purported starter Brandon Weeden sidelined with a thumb injury. Hoyer may have snatched Weeden’s job after engineering a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to propel the Browns to their first victory of the season. Hoyer did throw three interceptions, but he also fired three touchdown passes, a feat Weeden has yet to accomplish in 17 career starts.

Jordan Cameron is suddenly emerging as one of the league’s most intriguing young tight ends after his three score game against the Vikings (0-3) on Sunday. Cameron totaled 66 yards on his 6 receptions (3 for TD’s), including the go-ahead grab in the back of end zone with 51 seconds left.

Josh Gordon, fresh off a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, hauled in 10 receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown.

The Browns were able to send a clear message to their fans, the critics and to to the rest of the NFL today that they have no intentions of quitting on the season and will not roll over against any opponent.