Despite a 4-6 record, they remain within range to contend in the NFC East. “Just knowing we’re a better football team than that”, defensive end Jason Hatcher said of the 44-16 loss to the Panthers.
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The Carolina Panthers had rolled to a 17-point halftime lead Sunday and you wondered whether defensive coordinator Sean McDermott might ease up a bit and let the defense coast home in the second half against a bad Washington team. Newton showcased his arm with tough passes to the outside and finished the drive 6 of 7 for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Washington committed the first of five turnovers on its first drive when Kirk Cousins felt pressure and threw off his back foot deep over the middle.
-The Panthers scored 31 points in the first half, the most they’ve ever put up in the first two quarters of a game.
“You can’t turn the ball over if you’re a running back”.
Three plays later Cam Newton tossed his fifth touchdown pass to put the Panthers up 38-14 and make the final 28 minutes a living hell for Cousins, a week removed from posting a flawless passer rating against New Orleans. In his first start of the season, Keenum went 12 for 26 for 136 yards and fumbled three times, losing two.
The ESPN Matchup Predictor gives the Panthers a 74.5 percent chance to win this game on Sunday. It was the first kickoff return touchdown against the Panthers in 100 games.
And when the Panthers made it obvious they weren’t willing to help out with a few mistakes of their own, the score became a reflection of the play on the field. The Ravens have lost seven games by a total of 32 points, but this close one went their way. The field goal marked the 30th unanswered point for the Panthers since the game was tied at 14-14 in the first quarter. Clearly they’re getting better, but the real question is what will the 30-ranked National Football League rush defense be able to do against the NFL’s No. 3 ground offense. We played at the NY Jets and played a good first half and then laid an egg in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completed 23 of 32 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns. This plays right into the Panthers strength. Carolina have exceeded expectations by going 9-0 despite Cam Newton not having anyone to throw to. They are second to the NY Giants at the moment and are trying to hold off the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Newton’s effort in last week’s win over Tennessee was greatly overshadowed by “the dab”, the Atlanta-based dance he performed after a fourth-quarter touchdown run. Carolina eventually turned that possession into a touchdown, meaning that Boger’s call resulted in a 14-point swing that never should have happened. Carolina has the home field advantage today as it attempts to push its unbeaten record into double digits.
According to Blackandbluereview.com Rivera had this to say about fans of other teams living in the area.
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Carolina’s defense is championship-caliber and Washington doesn’t measure up where it matters, especially stopping QB Cam Newton and RB Jonathan Stewart in the second half. They can continue this historic streak with a win on Sunday against the Redskins. He’s doing all of this with a heavily depleted receiver corps that was scuttled with the season-ending injury to Kelvin Benjamin, and tight end Greg Olsen is the only target Newton can consistently trust.
