The best way to describe the Carolina Panthers high-scoring 46-27 victory: Jekyll & Hyde.
There was a lot to take away from Sunday's game that would make any Panthers fan happy. But for many of the hardcore fans, it was a disappointing victory. Sure, we won. Sure we scored 46 points. But that was expected against the 49ers. What wasn't expected was a 2nd play interception, 5 dropped passes, a Ted Ginn Jr. "I'm just going to let the ball touch my leg on a kickoff. Then I'll stand around & wait for the 49ers to recover on their own 1 yard line", or our defense to let Blaine Gabbert look like Joe Montana.
I'm really trying to put it delicately, so here's my best attempt: When we play at our best, we are better than what we showed on Sunday.
The 17-10 score at halftime reflected how we reverted back to the John Fox era of playing down to our competition. The Ron Rivera Panthers do something else. It's called dictating the pace of every game. That is what got us to the Super Bowl last season.
Cam Newton gave a speech to his team at halftime that seemed to stoke the fire of the most talented team in football. Like a true leader, he wouldn't let his team into the locker room until he spoke to them. That MVP mentality is still there. Even with a 7 point lead, it seems Cam saw what I saw: A team that was NOT playing their best football.
The 31-10 score halfway through the 3rd quarter was a reflection of that mentality. We kicked the ball to the 49ers, got a quick 3 and out, then scored a touchdown. After that, we did it again. Now THAT is what I am used to seeing this team do. It was like we played 6 bad quarters just so we could get that way of playing out of our system. The 2 scores gave us serious momentum & 24 unanswered points.
Then we started brain farting all over the place.
Sloppy defense, bone-headed plays & complacency sunk in & the score was quickly 31-20 with the entire 4th quarter to play.
But we got our groove back & aside from a long touchdown pass due to broken coverage, we played Panther football & shut it down getting the 1st victory of the 2016 season & extending our home winning streak to 14 games.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Cam newton threw for 353 yards on 26/40 passes with 4 TD's & one early (2nd play of the game) interception. Bouncing back from a first throw interception to a "player of the week" performance speaks volumes about the maturity & progression of a young guy like Cam. The guy is only 26-years-old! He's still got potential for growth & is likely going to get better folks! Now that's scary! He also broke franchise records for most 300-yard passing games & most passing TD's (121) previously held by Jake Delhomme. Newton also had 6 carries for 37 yards.
3rd year wide-receiver Kelvin Benjamin had some unbelievable catches. He finished the game with 7 grabs for 108 yards & 2 TD's. All I can say is welcome back KB!
Veteran tight-end Greg Olsen had the best catch we have seen in a long time with a 78 yard grab for a TD which was also his 50th career touchdown catch. He finished the game with 5 grabs & 122 yards.
When starting running-back Jonathan Stewart got injured early in the 1st quarter, Fozzy Whitaker stepped in & had the best game of his career! He finished the game with 16 carries for exactly 100 yards (a career high & also his 1st 100 yard rushing game) plus 3 catches for 31 yards.
On defense, 2nd year linebacker Shaq Thompson recovered a fumble early & ran it for his 1st career touchdown. That early turnover/touchdown put us up 7-3 & we never looked back. All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly got tangled up in coverage & beat downfield for a 70+ yard touchdown only to bounce back & get an interception on the 49ers next drive proving why he is the best defensive player in the league. Plus rookie cornerback James Bradberry got his 1st career interception to close out the game....So welcome to Panther Nation Mr. Bradberry!
What To Take Away:
The Panthers were able to show what they are capable of. They had 529 yards of total offense which is nothing to shake a stick at. But if we would have played consistently throughout the game, that number could have been up in the 700 yard range.
Our defense also let a Blaine Gabbert-led 49ers team obtain 302 yards of offense. Chip Kelly may be their head coach, but we are the best defense in the league. However, we seemed to get it together, then lose it, then get it together again to finish out the game.
The Carolina Panthers showed glimpses of their capabilities throughout the game on Sunday. Then they showed glimpses of the mistakes they could easily make. But, the crazy thing to me is we NEVER lost the lead. From the time we went up 7-3, we held the lead. Considering how bad we were at times, that's pretty impressive.
But, if we were playing another team, that probably would not have been the case. A good team would have seized every opportunity & taken back the lead. So this team has to be aware of that. I'm sure coach Rivera is very aware of it & will get these guys firing on all cylinders by next week. If not, this could be a very long & disappointing season for Panthers fans.
But, hey, that's just my 2cents....
Click the link below for a YouTube recap of the game:
https://www.youtube.com/Panthers&49ers
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