On October 1st, 2017 the Carolina Panthers walked into Foxboro, MA and beat the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 33-30.
While this is obviously a big win for the Panthers, there were also some other records broken and set during the game. For Jonathan Stewart, he didn't know until he got to the locker room after the game that he had surpassed friend and former teammate, DeAngelo Williams to become the all-time leading rusher for the Panthers.
Jonathan's numbers weren't flashy for the game, but they usually aren't. He rushed 14 times for 68 yards. He just quitely gets the job done. The one blemish on the day was his fumble in the red zone during the 3rd quarter as the team was driving for another score.
I've collected Stewart since his rookie year, not just because he's a Panther but because of who he is off the field. I haven't bought a lot of singles of him or other players I collect over the last few years, however I was compelled to collect his 2017 Donruss rainbow just a few weeks ago. Now that I have (I think) all of his cards from this set, now is a good time to share them.
* Edit - Turns out there are non-serially numbered green and red Press Proof parallels too. Green are exclusive to retail hanger boxes. Not sure about the red parallels. Oh well, the search to complete the rainbow continues!
I really like this year's base design for 2017 Donruss. Panini did a good job keeping the design pretty basic and unlike some of their other sets, the design doesn't detract from the image. I also like when the team colors are incorporated into the design such as this.
The card backs aren't that flashy. I'm not sure what that white box is supposed to be for, but it would have been nice to have a little bit more stats than just the previous years.
The orange parallels are serially numbered to the players jersey. In this case, 03/28. The orange has a rainbow like sheen to it and the Donruss "d" is done in a deep purple foil.
Most of the parallels are part of the Press Proof set. The blue parallel isn't serially numbered and seem to be easier to find in packs. In fact, the 40 card Value Packs at retail carry 4 blue Press Proofs per pack.
The black Press Proof parallels are serially numbered to just 10. Mine is 02/10. The whole card is printed on foil board and is prone to fingerprints. The Donruss "d" is done in a black foil.
The gold Press Proof parallels are serially numbered to 50. Mine is 04/50. The whole card is printed on foil board and is also prone to fingerprints. The Donruss "d" is done in a gold foil.
The silver Press Proof parallels are serially numnered to 100. Mine is 075/100. Like the other Press Proof parallels, the card is printed on foil board and a fingerprint magnet. The Donruss "d" is done in a silver foil.
I would be remiss to say that another record was made during the game. Quarterback Cam Newton (finally) came alive in the 4th game of the season and threw for 3 TDs and rushed for another. That rushing TD gave him 50 for his career, setting a new NFL record for rushing TDs by a Quarterback.
Cam Newton surpassed Steve Young for first on the list. Cam completed this accomplishment in just 79 games, while it took Steve Young 169 games. Cam also surpassed Young with his 32nd game with a rushing and a passing TD.
The Carolina Panthers are now 3-1 and go to Detroit to play the 3-1 Lions on October 8th.
