The Carolina Panthers edge to a 20-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars to get their 2015 National Football League season off to a winning start.
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Panthers backup offensive tackle Daryl Williams left the game in the first quarter with a right knee injury.
The rookie had a productive debut but suffered a concussion late. Much like the past two seasons, the team could potentially dig themselves into a hole early with its first handful of games.
The Panthers and Jaguars kick off at EverBank Field in Jacksonville at noon CDT Sunday. There have been times when we found ways not to lose instead of ways to win. We hand out our game balls. “I thought some of the things he did were really good, but we’re going to focus on the mistakes he made, and those are things that we’re going to correct”. On their possession, Bortles had his arm hit as he attempted to pass and linebacker Thomas Davis grabbed the wobbly ball for an interception just inside the 20-yard line.
If the Jags do not win next week, they will be on a three-game road trip with the Patriots and Colts on deck for the first two of three, and there might be rumblings and more uncertainty for the future of head coach Gus Bradley. The Jaguars hope to parlay the continued development of quarterback Blake Bortles, who was just shy of 3,000 yards passing as a rookie, into a playoff spot.
“The defense played unbelievably again, like they did a lot previous year “, Bortles said. Bradley said the players were overly concerned with failing rather than carrying over what they’ve been doing in practice and throughout the preseason. It was what we did to ourselves. The starting defensive line struggled to generate a consistent pass rush during the preseason and with defensive end Andre Branch and defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks expected to miss at least the start of the regular season, it remains to be seen where the pressure will come from. They played good enough and we just have to put more points on the board.
Norman’s theft early in the third quarter was a momentum-changer.
Kuechly was injured shortly before halftime while attempting to make a tackle on running back T.J. Yeldon of the Jaguars.
While the run game wasn’t spectacular last week with the team rushing for less than 100 yards, that small number can be partially attributed to the team not keeping it on the ground all that often. “To open up, and if we had been opening up here it would have been tough too – a little more comfortable because you would have been at home, but you go on the road and try to deal with it”. It’s no different than when I would catch 10 balls previous year .
“Today, the only thing I was told is that he was OK and he will continue the protocol as each day goes”. “Give them the advantage at that point, I guess”. Five came after Kuechly left the game with a concussion.
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CAM CONTROL: Playing in his first game since signing a five-year, $104 million contract, Cam Newton completed 18 of 31 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.
