Where to begin?
As a Panthers fan, I am obviously disappointed in this loss to the Denver Broncos. Our last two games ended up being two losses to the same to team. And with both games being primetime games on top of everything, it's just a bitter pill to swallow. But I am more disappointed that the game was as close as it was. I am mostly disappointed with the referees.
With the new "Concussion Protocols" and the NFL commissioner acting like he cares about player's health, we better see some fines for the players & referees after what occurred during the game; a game which the entire country was watching. The referees, in particular, should be penalized for not protecting Cam Newton after some brutal hits. There were multiple, illegal, helmet-to-helmet hits that could have left Cam concussed or worse. If it wasn't a big guy like Cam Newton, if it was an average NFL player, I think in all seriousness someone could have been paralyzed by those hits. And nobody on that referee crew seemed to care.
The only flag thrown for roughing the passer was negated because as Newton threw the ball, he was hit & the ball did not get back to the line of scrimmage which is, technically, intentional grounding. So the penalties offset each other.
I honestly think that Cam's career will be shortened if the referees & the NFL in particular doesn't start paying more attention to these hits. I guess they figure he's so big & strong he can take it. But that's not right. Rules are rules. And I am pissed!
Now, let's get to the actual game:
The Panthers defense had a great game. They caused 3 turnovers (2 interceptions & 1 fumble) after letting the Broncos offense drive to within their own 30 yard line. So we basically gave them hope then took the wind out of their sails on 3 separate occasions. But the offense was only able to get 7 points off of 3 takeaways. We just didn't capitalize on the opportunities given.
The best drive for the Panthers offense was an 86 yard touchdown drive in the 2nd quarter which ate up about 8 minutes with over 15 plays. We methodically ran & passed for enough yards on every play to warrant a lot of 3rd downs converted to 1st downs which ended up gaining the Panthers 7 points. That deflates & wears down defenses. But after that drive, it seemed like Mike Schula (the Panthers Offensive Coordinator) was too busy patting himself on the back to call the rest of the game because it was our last touchdown scored.
We threw the ball when we should've run, a lot. One occasion led to a tipped pass & interception by the Broncos. An interception that quarterback Cam Newton is all too familiar with....One that wasn't his fault. But on a drive where the run & clock management should've been our weapon of choice, Schula decided to pass on 2nd & 5 which led to a wide receiver letting the ball go through his hands, up in the air & inevitably intercepted within scoring distance for the Broncos. The score at that point was 17-14, Panthers.
The defense did what they could with such short yards behind them to defend. But the power running attack was too much as the Broncos went ahead 21-17 with a touchdown run. A touchdown run which I feel could have been prevented with better playcalling & coaching.
The game was somehow still close although the Carolina Panthers only played one solid half of "Carolina Panthers Football". We got a field goal drive leaving the score at 21-20 & had a chance to win the game with a last second field goal. But Graham Gano's kick sailed wide left & we lost the game.
What to take away:
A lot of people want to blame Gano for missing the kick. But it should have never come to that. We went in to the half with a 17-7 lead & let the reigning Super Bowl champion Broncos back into the game. It was a mix of bad play-calling & lazy plays on both sides.
The offensive line was phenomenal for 3 quarters. When we went down 21-17, they crumbled & let Cam get hit a lot. The defense was up & down, but mostly up. We were just too inconsistent.
In an earlier blog I wrote, I already said that this season was not going to go well if we don't play four quarters. Last season's Super Bowl team went 15-1 through the regular season but at least half of the wins were games where the Panthers were up by 3 scores & let their opponents back into the game winning only by a slim margin. WE CAN'T DO THAT THIS YEAR!
If we expect to win a Super Bowl or even make the playoffs, we have to play four quarters of good football! Not just one half, not 3 quarters. Every single game, from here on out, the Panthers must play 60 minutes of their best football in order to win. Everybody knows how good we are & have us marked on their calendar. They want to beat us if nobody else. Especially with our MVP Cam Newton making flashy plays, dancing in the endzone & on 1st downs.
Not for nothing, but our newly acquired punter Andy Lee had a great debut setting a Carolina Panthers record for the longest punt with a 78 yard boot. Also, Kelvin Benjamin had 6 grabs for 91 yards & a touchdown in his return from an ACL tear which left him sitting on the bench all of last season. And tight-end Greg Olsen made some clutch, 3rd down catches that kept drives going.
Also, "Superman" Cam Newton had 248 total yards including a passing & rushing touchdown. He also broke Steve Young's record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 44. He also broke the record for having the most games with a passing AND a rushing touchdown in the same game. Cam is still very young, not even in his prime. So that number could easily hit 100 before he retires from football.
Look, I'm not hitting any panic buttons. We have 10 days to prepare for the home opener & we are playing the 49ers. In those 10 days, our two-time NFL Coach of the Year Ron Rivera will get this team ready to move forward & win games. They will learn from their mistakes. I feel that this close loss was actually better than if we would have gotten a close win. A close win would not place a sense of urgency into this team. But a close loss which we should have won will officially put a big chip on the entire team's shoulders.
BUT! If we lose to the 49ers, close or not, start worrying! Hit ALL the panic buttons you can find! With a 10 day rest & preparation time frame, we better come correct or this season is going to be long & hard to watch for Panthers fans.
But, hey, that's just my 2cents....
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