[vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html]If the Panthers were going to knock off the defending Super Bowl champs at a place where they’ve lost just twice since 2012, they’d have to be pretty much flawless. They weren’t.Carolina’s defense allowed the Seahawks to rack up seven plays of 20-plus yards, and the offense couldn’t get out of its own way in the first and fourth quarters. Quarterback Cam Newton was especially sloppy, giving the ball away three times.”[I] did a bad job of protecting the football, and when you’re playing a great defense you just have to take what they give you,” Newton said.  “A lot of times, I was overlooking the play that needed to be made of instead trying to make the bigger play.”Newton’s first turnover came midway through the first quarter when he underthrew receiver Philly Brown. The play was about as good as a punt, but Newton and Brown weren’t going to beat cornerback Richard Sherman, who leaped to snag his league-leading 25th interception since 2011.On the Panthers’ next drive, they picked up their initial first down of the game with 3:12 left in the opening quarter. Two plays later, a mix-up between Newton and running back Jonathan Stewart, plus a free rusher allowed by left tackle Byron Bell, equaled another turnover.”That was a read play. I don’t think it was blocked right, but that’s what happens when you play in a hostile environment. A lot of people heard one thing, and others heard something else,” Newton said. “It wasn’t necessarily a run read for myself, it was a pass read.””The fact that the safety came down so hard to take away the slant or the flat, that tells me as a quarterback to give it. Jonathan felt the guy getting on him, which I didn’t see because he was supposed to be blocked, anyway.”Despite the errors and a 14-point deficit, a rally remained possible when the Panthers drove to the Seahawks’ 13-yard-line midway through the fourth quarter. On second down, Newton’s first read was receiver Brenton Bersin, but he slipped in his route. Newton then turned and fired to tight end Ed Dickson.”At that point, we still had a chance, we’re still in there fighting,” coach Ron Rivera said. “Who knows what would have happened if we could have scored a touchdown there. Instead, it goes the other way.”Safety Kam Chancellor, the best defender on the field Saturday night, read the play perfectly. He jumped in front of Dickson and returned the interception 90 yards, effectively ending the Panthers’ season.”We made some mistakes. We missed some opportunities. They did some things that lead to winning championships,” Rivera said. “They scored on defense; they took the ball away. 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