Despite taking a commanding 31-0 lead into the half Sunday against the Seahawks, it's unlikely many Carolina Panthers’ fans turned off their TVs.
They knew better.
As successful as the Panthers have been this season, they've had a remarkable ability to turn double-digit leads into trips to the cardiologist. From up 31 in this divisional playoff to hanging on by seven, the disturbing trend continued.
"I’m very proud of what we did in the first half. If we could have just skipped right on over halftime and just kept playing I think we might have been in much better shape," coach Ron Rivera said.
"The biggest disappointment is I really didn’t want to play the game the way we did in the second half. I wanted to be more aggressive and try to attack but for whatever reason we got into protect mode and I’m a little disappointed in that."
And it wasn't just on Mike Shula and the offense.
"I will say the quarterback got a little bit more time which was disappointing," Rivera continued. "We got after him early in the game. We were able to attack him. I think the adjustments they made in the third quarter early on affected us. We got off the tight coverage and again gave a little bit more room underneath to move around and find opportunities to make plays."
Once again, the Panthers preached postgame that they needed to do a better job finishing. But they said the same after these five other instances:
—Week 2 vs. Texans: Panthers lead 24-10 with 8:53 remaining, win 24-17 when Ryan Mallet's pass from Carolina 20-yard line falls incomplete.
—Week 3 vs. Saints: Panthers lead 27-16 with 9:32 left, win 27-22 when Luke McCown is intercepted in the end zone by Josh Norman.
—Week 8 vs. Colts: Panthers lead 23-6 with 10:44 left, rally to win 29-26 in overtime.
—Week 9 vs. Packers: Panthers lead 37-14 with 9:22 left, win 37-29 when Aaron Rodgers is intercepted in the shadow of the goal line by Thomas Davis.
—Week 15 at Giants: Panthers lead 35-7 with 5:32 left in the third quarter, win 38-35 on a walk-off field goal from Graham Gano.
The good news about Carolina's bad habit is they've made plays at the end of each nail-biter to survive.
As safety Kurt Coleman said Sunday night, "It’s a win, we go on."
The Panthers have dodged late-game bullets so far, but their luck may soon run out if they keep living dangerously.
"There were a lot of guys playing with their butts tight. Coaches with their butts tight. At one point fans and myself were butt tight too," quarterback Cam Newton said.
"But you just have to find ways to get your groove back and we need a little bit more of that next Sunday."