Analysis: Repeated dumb mistakes have wasted a Panthers season full of potential
READ MORE
Panthers at Saints
Expanded coverage of Carolina’s Week 12 loss at New Orleans
Expand All
The Panthers were set up for another long day.
They’ve come in bunches as of late. Facing an early 14-0 deficit in the first quarter at the Superdome, Carolina was quickly gearing up for yet another tough, lopsided game.
The Panthers have struggled this season to rally from being down. They entered Week 12 0-5 when trailing at halftime and have fallen to large early deficits in two of their last four games.
But instead of Kyle Allen throwing an interception (or four) or the offense failing to get on the same page, on the very next drive, he found wide receiver DJ Moore down the field for a 51-yard touchdown pass. The Panthers then scored on their next two possessions, while the Saints had just six plays and zero first downs in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, back down by 13, they again battled back to tie the score at 31.
But Sunday in New Orleans, that wasn’t enough. As Wil Lutz drove a home a 33-yard field goal as time expired, there was no denying this 34-31 loss will stay with Carolina.
“Very much so,” coach Ron Rivera said on this loss hurting more. “Division alone is really the biggest reason more than anything else, because we had an opportunity. Still have an opportunity, but when you can get up on one of your divisional rivals, divisional foes, you’ve got to and we missed that chance.”
The game, like so many have for the Panthers this season, came down to the final minute. With the score tied at 31-31, Allen led what should have been an 11-play, go-ahead drive. But that was thwarted when kicker Joey Slye missed a 28-yard field out of the two-minute warning. The Panthers were largely aided on the drive by Rivera winning a rare defensive pass interference challenge that gave the Panthers three plays inside the 5-yard line to try and get into the end zone.
The Panthers elected to attempt the field goal despite Slye having already missed two extra-point attempts. But the game only rested on Slye’s shoulders because the offense failed five times within the New Orleans’ 10-yard line to score a touchdown. Not only that, but on two of the plays after the pass interference ruling, they went backward. Coming up short in small yardage situations isn’t anything new for the Panthers — this is the same team that has lost two games this season (Green Bay, Tampa Bay) because of Christian McCaffrey runs coming up 1 yard short.
Slye’s kick and the failure to cross the end zone on multiple attempts were just some of the many reminders throughout the game of why the Panthers are 5-6. Of why this team keeps coming up just short.
Reminders like the personal foul penalty for Tre Boston’s hit on Ted Ginn Jr. in the third quarter, and the 51 rushing yards they gave up in that quarter alone after allowing just 60 in the first half. There were the additional two missed extra-points by Slye after he had previously missed two all season. Safety Eric Reid even gave up two touchdowns in coverage. The offensive line held together despite three different players being injured during the game, but Allen was sacked three-plus times for the fourth game in a row.
The Panthers showed that they could compete with the Saints — like the Packers at Lambeau Field two weeks ago — but only to an extent. They kept this game close on the road in a loud environment. But close doesn’t win games; mistakes and missed opportunities lose them.
“Too many critical mistakes,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “To win on the road, with the mistakes we made, still having the chance to overcome them is almost a miracle within itself. Giving ourselves a big hole like that, you can go down the list (of mistakes). Coming out of the second half after ending the (first) half with a touchdown, three-and-out, the defense got a big stop there in the fourth quarter, three-and-out. It’s tough to beat good teams like that.”
No play better illustrates the mistakes and the missed opportunities than safety Rashaan Gaulden running into Moore after he tried to call fair catch on a punt return in the first quarter. Gaulden caused Moore to not only be unable to catch the ball, but it was eventually ruled on a challenge that Gaulden also touched the ball in the process, and the Saints recovered, scoring four plays later. The mistake led to the Panthers finding themselves in a 14-0 hole, but it also took a drive away from the offense, which scored on six of its 10 possessions.
Another opportunity the Panthers would like back came in the third quarter. Carolina put together two strong scoring drives that ate up clock to end the first half, but stalled on their opening possession after halftime. The Saints responded quickly with a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Jared Cook on the ensuing drive, which was followed by a three-and-out by the Panthers with three consecutive Allen passes that fell incomplete from the New Orleans 34-yard line.
The Panthers got gashed after that drive when the Saints drove 75 yards to score a touchdown in just under three-and-a-half minutes, largely aided by a 30-yard rush by Alvin Kamara and the 3-yard touchdown catch and successful two-point conversion by Michael Thomas that followed.
“I know we’re better than what we’re showing, that’s the frustrating part,” Gerald McCoy said. “We’re way better than what we’re showing, simple as that. I know people say you are what your record is, but we are better than what we’re showing. I know that for sure. Not going to say injuries or anything like that. Forget that. Next man up. We just got to be better.”
The Panthers’ offense’s ability to stay in the game was led by Allen putting together one of the best games of his career after having his worst last week. A game after throwing four interceptions, he completed 23 of his 36 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns — and he broke his four-game streak of throwing at least one interception.
Moore had one of his best games, catching six passes for 126 and two touchdowns — the first multi-touchdown game of his career.
And while the young offensive players continuing to improve is key for Carolina, for this team on this day with the playoff race slipping away, it was the times that they came up just short and the five points left off the board by Slye that proved to be the difference.
“I’ve been on teams where we lose and you’re like, ‘Well, we were fighting, we knew we weren’t better than that team.’ We actually should have won this game,” McCoy said. “We put ourselves in too many bad spots. We did that. That’s not taking anything away from the Saints. … We had an opportunity to win it and we didn’t.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 4:47 PM.
