Black and Blue Review
It hasn’t been the most efficient path to the postseason doorstep, but one more win will put the Panthers in the playoffs. And for a 6-8-1 team that appeared to be out of the mix three weeks ago, that’s all that matters.
Carolina’s 17-13 home win over Cleveland Sunday set the stage for a winner-take-all season finale at NFC South rival Atlanta (6-9) next week.
“You win, and you keep moving, and you lose and the season is over,” linebacker Luke Kuechly said.
Technically, the Panthers can advance with a tie as well. But they’ll be facing a Falcons team that beat them 19-17 in Charlotte Nov. 16, in what was the fifth loss of a six-game losing skid. Sunday’s win was Carolina’s third in a row.
“We’re not thrilled that we only have six wins or whatever,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “But you know what? It’s enough. Every year you set out to try to win your division. We have one game left, and it’s right in front of us.”
Quarterback Cam Newton, who was playing 12 days after fracturing two bones in his back in a car accident, completed 18-of-21 passes for 201 yards. He was intercepted once and also threw the game-winning touchdown to Jonathan Stewart. The running back was initially blocking on the play, but Newton eluded the pass rush and found an open Stewart in the end zone with 7:07 left.
“When you have a quarterback that doesn’t necessarily look to run, but looks down field, you create opportunities and that’s what he did,” coach Ron Rivera said. “He created an opportunity for us.”
The 9-yard score capped a 7-play, 66-yard drive that followed an 81-yard touchdown pass from Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer to tight end Jordan Cameron that put the Browns ahead 13-10. The Panthers blitzed on the play, and Rivera said the Browns caught them in a coverage rotation, which allowed Cameron to get behind the defense.
“When they scored, stuff got serious,” said defensive end Charles Johnson. “The guys rallied.”
Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Atlanta was on its way to a 30-14 win that knocked the Saints from playoff contention. While fans in Bank of America Stadium cheered at JumboTron highlights of the Falcons’ success, Rivera didn’t want to look up.
“I tried not to, but I did at one point, and I saw Atlanta had the lead. We all started screaming at each other about ‘take care of our business,’” Rivera said.
And now, after they helped the Panthers, the Falcons are the last hurdle keeping Carolina from making its first ever consecutive trip to the playoffs.
“I feel like we’ve already prepared for this, especially with so much that we’ve been through this whole season,” Newton said. “Getting a must win today and the similarities kind of take us back to last year. We had to win in Atlanta to get that first-round bye, to even win the division. So, we’re kind of prepared for this moment and hopefully we will seize it come game day.”