Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw four touchdown passes to lead the Panthers to a 46-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
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-Vance McDonald produced the longest reception in franchise history for a tight end with his 75-yard catch-and-run after securing a Blaine Gabbert pass. McDonald took advantage of a knockdown block from wide receiver Quinton Patton on Panthers All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly. The defending conference champions, they’re looking to rebound after blowing a 17-7 fourth quarter lead at Denver in their Super Bowl rematch. Of course the Panthers won 15 regular season games but nearly lost several of them by blowing leads. Cam just puts the ball within their wide catch radius, and he just goes up and catches it.
The Panthers opened with a loss at Denver, with QB Cam Newton taking some big shots, but rebounded to roll San Francisco.
Can the 49ers hang with the Panthers as a double-digit underdog when the two teams clash at 1:00PM ET on Sunday?
“We can’t keep going on those lulls”, Newton said.
The first thing the Panthers like to establish is the run game. “There are some things we have to get corrected”.
Newton’s offensive line also did a much better job of keeping him clean.
“He’s a big body”, said 49ers safety Antoine Bethea. But the 2015 league MVP locked in after that, completing 24 of 40 passes while running for 37 yards on six carries.
As if Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewert and Greg Olsen weren’t enough to cost Niners defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil some sleepless nights, the Panthers also have Kelvin Benjamin, a 6-foot-5 monster, back in the lineup this season after he blew out his knee in training camp and missed all of a year ago.
The 49ers only offensive starters remaining from Week 2 a year ago: running back Carlos Hyde, left tackle Joe Staley and tight ends Vance McDonald and Garrett Celek.
After hauling in both of his targets in the first half, Benjamin took over in the third quarter with a pair of touchdown catches and four receptions, including an incredible 1-handed grab while falling to the turf. He looked positively terrible for most of the second and third quarters before rebounding with a solid fourth, where he engineered two touchdown drives.
“Most of the DBs that were on me were small, and I was able to jump and get the ball”, Benjamin said.
Up next, the Niners visit the Seattle Seahawks – a team coming off a three-point performance against the Los Angeles Rams – the same team the 49ers walloped 28-0 in Week 1.
Yet, in many ways, this game went the way many of us felt it would. “But that’s what the league decided, that’s what TV wanted, and we gave them a good show”, Rivera said.
WHAT WAS THAT?: The Panthers won despite the four turnovers, including one colossal mistake by returner Ted Ginn Jr., who failed to pick up the ball on a kickoff return.
Carolina running back Fozzy Whittaker gained career-high 100 yards on 16 carries, mostly after starting Jonathan Stewart left the game with a hamstring injury.
“We won the first game previous year and didn’t do jack after”, linebacker NaVorro Bowman said. The Panthers returned a Carlos Hyde fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter, which didn’t help the defenses cause. In fact, Hyde’s most notable play of the game was a first quarter fumble that the Panther defense scooped up for a quick touchdown.
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Newton reached 121 career TD passes in 2,480 attempts, while Delhomme had 120 in 2,669 attempts.
