At only 28 years of age, Luke Kuechly decided to retire two weeks ago. This came as quite a surprise, and you could feel how hard it was for him in the video below. Kuechly retired as one of the greatest linebackers of all-time. Although he didn’t make the list, Kuechly was a finalist for the NFL 100 all-time team. In addition to that, Kuechly won the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, three Butkus Awards, seven Pro Bowl nominations, and he was a first-team All-Pro five times. Kuechly also led the league in tackles twice, never having less than 100 in a season.
So, in honor of the legend and future Hall of Famer, I decided to go through every game Kuechly played and talk about what I feel was the eight best. I landed on eight as a homage to the late Kobe Bryant. Rest in peace Kobe.
Since IDP has so many different scoring systems, I decided to use Kuechly’s page on FantasyData for the points in this article. However, I did look at multiple websites for this article, and I chose the eight games that I felt were top-level performances in any format.
Number 8: December 23rd, 2012 vs Raiders (17.0 points)
Not that I planned it this way, but we might as well start at the beginning. In what was the 2012 fantasy championships for most leagues, a rookie Kuechly served his owners well against the Raiders. Kuechly notched nine solo tackles, four assisted tackles, a tackle for loss, two passes defended, and the interception below off of Matt Leinart. That interception could be what won the Panthers the game as well. It led to a Carolina touchdown before halftime, in a game that ended 17-6.
Regardless of whether you believe that he won the Panthers that game or not, Kuechly probably won you your fantasy league that day. The Panthers certainly won plenty of games in the years that followed because of him, but this could be the game that started it all.
Number 7: November 26th, 2017 @ Jets (17.5 points)
From a game that featured an interception that led to a touchdown, we now move on to a game that features a fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown. Even more so than the interception in the first game, Kuechly likely won the Panthers the game on this play. They were down 20-18 early in the 4th quarter, in a game that they won 35-27, and Kuechly was the go-ahead score.
https://twitter.com/NFL_DovKleiman/status/934888513123864577?s=20As for the rest of Kuechly’s stats for this game, he had four solo tackles and five assisted tackles, along with a tackle for loss and a pass defended. The game against the Raiders had better stats than this one. However, I decided to put this game higher, just because Kuechly scored off the turnover himself. Plus, just look at the recovery. Sloppy play by the Jets or not, Kuechly came from 20 yards away. That shows just how elite his vision was, and he had some wheels to get there too.
Number 6: October 2nd, 2016 @ Falcons (18.2 points)
On the surface, minus the 11 solo tackles, this game wasn’t really anything special. The Panthers didn’t win, and the Falcons put up 48 points in this game. However, even though Kuechly wasn’t really known for being a linebacker that lives in the backfield, he was on this day. In addition to those solo tackles, Kuechly also had two tackles for loss, an assisted tackle, a QB hit, and a sack.
I wouldn’t say that Kuechly had a career-defining moment in this game, but this is a fantasy football website, and sometimes you have to go with the stats. In fact, even though he got beat, I actually think this play in 2015 was his best against the Falcons.
While I would never suggest leaving a linebacker to cover a receiver 50+ yards down the field, it might’ve worked on a smaller receiver. How Kuechly kept up with Julio Jones is beyond me. Even though that game was rather average for Kuechly, I felt that play deserved a mention. It doesn’t always have to be about stats, and that play proves it.
Number 5: September 12th, 2019 vs Bucs (18.5 points)
Speaking of games that are just a whole bunch of stats, how does 18 tackles (8 solo) sound? That alone was 15.5 of Kuechly’s points since he also had 2.5 tackles for loss. However, I noticed something interesting when I was looking at the scoring for FantasyData. It doesn’t list safeties, though it does appear to count them since Kuechly had one in this game. (See below.) The last point came from a pass defended, bringing the total to 18.5.
https://twitter.com/mdbergin/status/1172350382292578304?s=20Unfortunately, the Panthers couldn’t capitalize on the momentum that Kuechly gave them. They proceeded to turn the ball over on downs on the ensuing possession and lose the game 20-14. Still, this was the second-most tackles that Kuechly had in his entire career and the latest game on this list.
Number 4: November 2nd, 2015 vs Colts (18.5 points)
From one prime time game to another, and another 18.5 point performance. This time, Kuechly had “only” 14 tackles on the day, including nine solo tackles and a tackle for loss. Throw in three passes defended and the following interception, and you have yourself a nice game.
Not to mention, that interception was in overtime and helped the Panthers win the game to go 7-0 on the season. This was the season that the Panthers went 15-1, and the loss was to the Falcons. Considering that the Falcons won by a touchdown and that the Julio Jones play was the final touchdown of that game, I think Kuechly had a good season. It may have been shortened by a few games, but much like the Panthers, Kuechly was near perfect.
Number 3: November 26th, 2015 @ Cowboys (18.5 points)
Since we’re on the subject of being close to perfect, let’s stay in the same season, shall we? Better yet, how about the same month, and in front of another national audience? Oh, and let’s do something that hasn’t been done in 18 years, like get an interception on two consecutive plays. You know, just for some extra fun on Thanksgiving. Kuechly didn’t even have that many tackles, only two solo, and seven total, he just got 12 of his points from interceptions. I don’t care what you say about Tony Romo‘s playing career. Over the past year, he’s proven that he’s HIGHLY intelligent
If you want more of a film breakdown for this game, I can help you with that. Why do I say that? Because, much like Brett Kollmann said in his video below: I don’t know what Kuechly saw or how he did it. To continue quoting Kollmann: “Kuechly plays defense like a quarterback.” Middle linebackers tend to do that more than most positions, but I’ve never seen anyone do it quite like Kuechly. Can we please get these two psychics in the same commentary booth? If neither Romo or Kuechly take a coaching position, this needs to happen, for entertainment if nothing else.
Number 2: October 21st, 2018 @ Eagles (19.7 points)
Depending on the format, the top two games of Kuechly’s career are interchangeable. However, since I’m using FantasyData for the point values that you see, this gets the #2 spot. Also, remember when I said Kuechly lived in the backfield against the Falcons? Well, maybe it’s something about big cats hunting big birds, but Kuechly REALLY lived in the backfield for this one. Kuechly had 13 total tackles (11 solo), four tackles for loss, a QB hit, and a sack. That sounds like a stat line you get when you turn penalties off on Madden so you can jump offsides on every play.
As seen in the following tweet, Kuechly got his sack in the 4th quarter and snuffed out a screen on the next drive. This forced two consecutive third-and-long situations, both of which the Eagles failed to convert. Without these two plays, the Panthers do not win this game. They were down 17-7 just before the sack, and it was 17-0 until the drive before that. You can credit the first touchdown for the momentum shift, but Kuechly was the one making sure that the comeback was completed.
Number 1: December 22nd, 2013 vs Saints (21.5 points)
Okay, let’s see how many tackles Kuechly go- oh my! 24 tackles?! “Only” nine of the tackles were solo. However, Kuechly also had a tackle for loss, a pass defended, and an interception. The scary thing about Kuechly having 24 tackles is, he didn’t even do anything on the last three Saints’ possessions. So, Kuechly got that entire stat line in just over three quarters (about 50 minutes).
No matter what format of IDP you play, this game is in the top two in terms of fantasy points. Oh, and if you don’t play fantasy football, welcome to the community. It doesn’t take a fantasy football player to see that this is the best statistical game of Kuechly’s career. It may not feature a career-defining moment, but being one tackle shy of Brian Urlacher‘s record is pretty good too. Plus, the Panthers beat a division rival. That’s never a bad thing — unless you’re the Dolphins and messing up your tank. Jokes aside, I’ll leave you with a video of every tackle from this game right here, and just reflect to wrap things up.
I’m a 49ers fan, and I don’t have NFL Gamepass, so I’ve only seen half of these games at most. That said, I saw enough to know just how great Kuechly was. I’ve seen more of Bobby Wagner, but even if I set aside the NFC West rivalry, I think Kuechly is better. In fact, he might be my G.O.A.T. at middle linebacker, just for his abilities in coverage. Most legendary linebackers are known for the intensity of their hits, and while Kuechly certainly has that, I think he’s one of the most intelligent players of all-time. There’s not much else I can say. The game lost a star while it was still shining, much like Patrick Willis years ago. Keep pounding, Luke. You deserve a break. I just hope we see you again soon.
