Yes, a Panthers’ offense that scored 46 points a week earlier was shut out in the second half. And sure, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was sacked five times in the final two quarters. But Sunday’s game against the Vikings should’ve been over at the half.
At the break, the Panthers led:
- 205-34 in total yards
- 149-8 in passing yards
- 11-2 in first downs
- 12:08 in time of possession
- 10-8 on the scoreboard
One of those numbers isn’t like the others.
“We can’t turn the ball over. We can’t miss opportunities. We can’t have penalties that take away opportunities,” coach Ron Rivera said afterward.
“They made a play on special teams, they did some good things on the defensive side and we didn’t capitalize when we had the opportunity earlier on in the game.”
And it wasn’t just an opportunity. It was at least nine of them.
First Quarter
3:52 — MIN ball, 2nd-and-6 at MIN 41
After the Panthers’ offense had scored 10 points on its first two drives, the defense had a chance to pad the lead. But instead of catching Sam Bradford’s pass, Vernon Butler knocked it down:
(NFL Game Pass)
2:57 — CAR ball, 1st-and-10 at CAR 4
With the Panthers pinned deep, it appeared a Cameron Artis-Payne 20-yard run dug them out of trouble. But Ed Dickson was called for holding Chad Greenway, who may or may not have stopped Artis-Payne before he turned the edge:
Two plays later …
1:51 — CAR ball, 2nd-and-9 at CAR 5
Newton hoped to continue taking more “layups” this season, and this would have been an ideal time to come off the deep read for a dump down to Dickson:
Of course, Newton would’ve had more time if Michael Oher had stayed on his feet against Danielle Hunter:
:22 — MIN ball, 1st-and-10 at MIN 44
Rookie James Bradberry had a solid game against Stefon Diggs, who came in as the league’s leader in receiving yards. But Bradberry barely missed grabbing his second interception in as many games: