That Should Do It

 

The Panthers resurrected what was about to be a failed season only to see it die again.

After rallying from a 17-point deficit in Oakland, Carolina gave up 11 unanswered to the Raiders, who pulled off their fifth fourth-quarter rally of the season.

The Panthers are now 4-7 and at the bottom of the NFC South. Atlanta (7-4), Tampa Bay (6-5) and New Orleans (5-6) all won Sunday.

Coach Ron Rivera knew his team would have to sweep this 10-day, two-game West Coast trip if they had any chance to rally for a postseason spot. Instead, they'll head into Sunday Night Football at Seattle next week as 2016's most disappointing team.

 

Where'd Riverboat Go?

 

In a 32-all game with just over five minutes left, the Panthers had a 4th-and-1 from their 40-yard line. Rivera could have gone for it, but he elected to punt to the Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr.

That was a curious decision considering the Panthers had allowed an NFL-high 117 points in the fourth quarter through their first 10 games and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was the league's best fourth-quarter passer with nine touchdowns, one interception and a 121.0 passer rating.

Two plays after punting, linebacker A.J. Klein was left in coverage against receiver Michael Crabtree, whose 49-yard catch set the Raiders up for a game-winning field goal.

 

Kelvin Benjamin Had a Strange Day

 

The Panthers' most-important receiver had no receptions on three targets through three quarters. In the third, he slammed his helmet on the sideline and yelled at coaches when he was pulled off the field. Then he caught a 44-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to extend the Panthers' lead, his first score since Week 4. Then he stepped out of bounds short of the first-down marker leading to Rivera's decision to punt.

Benjamin was supposed to make what was the NFL's top-scoring offense even tougher to stop. But his game and his season are a microcosm of the Panthers in 2016.