National Media: Newton’s dab wasn’t enough to save Panthers from horrid meltdown
David Newton, ESPN
The dab may be back, but the fun may have gone out of the season for the Carolina Panthers.
Quarterback Cam Newton reintroduced the Atlanta-based move that he retired after the 2015 season following a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.....
In the first half, Newton became the first player in NFL history to pass for 20,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in his first six seasons.
The 27-year-old also became the fifth-youngest quarterback in NFL history to surpass 20,000 yards passing. The four younger than Newton are Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Dan Marino.
All of this temporarily made football fun for the Panthers.
But in the end, this game will be remembered for the collapse, not the dab.
Jonathan Jones, Sports Illustrated
If the 1–5 start didn’t sink the Panthers’ playoff hopes, this loss—in a game where their opponent didn’t hold the lead until the final second, no less—likely does it. Carolina can only get 10 wins this season and currently don’t own a tiebreaker against the other three NFC South teams.
The first half was a clinic for the Panthers. They built a 17–3 lead with a healthy run-pass balance and few third-down situations. Newton faced little pressure and had no sacks as Carolina went into the locker room.
But by the end of the third quarter, it was clear something was amiss. The Panthers emerged from a 20-play drive that spanned more than 10 minutes in the third quarter with zero points. Carolina went from its own nine yard line to as deep as the Kansas City 20 before Newton took back-to-back sacks, knocking Carolina out of field-goal range.
“You can’t be up 17–3 at half, come out of halftime and have the ball and go on what felt like the whole quarter drive, have the ball on the 20 and not even attempt a field goal,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “That’s why we lost the game—things like that.”
Steve Reed, Associated Press
The Carolina Panthers talked throughout the offseason about avoiding a Super Bowl hangover.
It might be time to get the aspirin.
The Panthers suffered a colossal meltdown on Sunday, blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and losing 20-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
It was a game that the defending NFC champion Panthers (3-6) likely would have closed out a year ago. But now they are in danger of joining a long list of teams with lackluster results the year after losing in the Super Bowl.
The last time a Super Bowl losing team returned to the championship game was the 1993 Buffalo Bills. Carolina had won two in a row coming into the weekend, but that momentum is gone now.
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star
Carolina punted into the end zone, completing a drive that lasted 20 plays and drained 10:08 off the clock. Newton knew the Panthers had lost a great scoring chance.
“Any time you have a drive like that, you don’t want to void it with no points,” Newton said. “I just have to find ways to get the ball out of my hands.”
According to pro-football-reference.com, it was the longest drive in the NFL since 1998 to end in a punt. Panthers tight end Greg Olsen pointed directly to the series — 20 plays, 10 minutes, 0 points — when assigning blame for the loss.
“You can’t have the ball and go on what felt like the whole quarter drive, have the ball on the 20 and not even attempt a field goal,” Olsen said. “That’s why we lost the game.”
And when the Chiefs started to win it.
This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 8:03 AM with the headline "National Media: Newton’s dab wasn’t enough to save Panthers from horrid meltdown."