Luke Kuechly, Linebacker
Like Donte Jackson, NFL Next Gen Stats also tweeted a graphic showing just how impressive Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was on Monday night:
Luke Kuechly did not miss a defensive play tonight (69 snaps), finishing with 6 tackles when traveling 20+ yards (13 total).
This was @LukeKuechly's 4th game this season with 6+ hustle tackles. Only four others have more than one such game this season.#NOvsCAR #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/luCyXmxlZY
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 18, 2018
As you can see, Kuechly finished with 13 tackles (11 solo), two tackles for loss and a pass defensed. He covered 20-plus yards on six of those tackles and played all 69 defensive snaps.
The NFL’s leading tackler since he entered the league, Kuechly continues to excel. He has surpassed 100 tackles in all seven seasons, even though he’s on track for his first full season since 2014 barring a late-season injury.
Kuechly remains one of the elite defensive players in the NFL. He is a perennial Pro Bowler — this year he will appear in the game for the sixth time in seven seasons — and a guy who gives maximum effort on every play.
Carolina’s defense hasn’t been itself most of the season, but that’s through no fault of its talented linebacker. As long as Kuechly is around, the Panthers will always have the potential to shut down any team they face.