Panthers film review: Everything that went wrong in Carolina’s final drive vs. Raiders
With four minutes left in regulation and the ball at their own 30-yard line, down four points, the Panthers had plenty of time to take the lead.
Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had thrown a 75-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson on their previous drive and finally got into a rhythm after a dismal third quarter.
But their second-to-last possession — and really their final “drive the one that could have given them a lead with about a minute remaining — stalled when the Panthers gave the ball to fullback Alex Armah on fourth-and-1. The Raiders won 34-30 in the season-opener.
While much of the attention (and criticism) has been focused on Carolina not giving the ball to Christian McCaffrey on that final play, there was more that went wrong on the drive. Here’s a look at the final drive:
First-and-10 from the Panthers’ 30, 4:02 left
▪ The play: Out of the I-formation, the Panthers ran a toss play to Christian McCaffrey, who gained 15 yards up the right side.
▪ Why it worked: It was a smart play by the Panthers, who hadn’t run many sweeps earlier in the day. Tight end Chris Manhertz was lined up on the right side. Wide receiver Seth Roberts motioned from the left side the right side. No one followed Roberts when he motioned, which showed the Panthers that the Raiders were in a zone defense.
That allowed the Panthers to have an extra blocker on the right side. When McCaffrey took the toss, he wasn’t touched until after he gained four yards. Fullback Alex Armah picked up a big block on Raiders linebacker Raekwon McMillan, giving McCaffrey just enough room to squeeze through a tiny hole.
Credit McCaffrey who broke through an arm tackle by Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby and gained 11 extra yards.
First-and-10 from the Panthers 45, 3:22 left
▪ The play: Out of a singleback formation with two tight ends lined up on the right side and a wide receiver on the right edge, the Panthers handed it off to McCaffrey, who gained three yards up the right side.
▪ What went wrong: It was a predictable play. The Raiders loaded eight defenders in the box to stop the run, including safety Johnathan Abram. Cornerback Trayvon Mullen played off the line of scrimmage in case there was a run. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who was lined up on the right edge, close to the tight ends, blocked Abram, but there was no one to block Mullen.
When McCaffrey received the handoff, he was out in space one-on-one with Mullen. Mullen, who had help on the inside, had great positioning and made the tackle.
Second-and-7 from the Panthers’ 48, 2:35 left
▪ The play: The Panthers run a handoff to McCaffrey, the lone set back, who gained three yards.
▪ What went wrong: On this play, Samuel and wide receiver D.J. Moore were lined up on the right side of the play. Tight end Chris Manhertz who was initially lined up on the left side, motioned to the right. Robby Anderson was split left.
The Raiders put eight men in the box to stop the run. Cornerback Damon Artnette and safety Abram played back. Safety Lamarcus Joyner showed blitz, forcing the Panthers to pick him up.
This would have been the perfect time to run a quick pass to McCaffrey out of the backfield, or a slant to Moore.
The Raiders knew the run was coming and stopped it. Linebacker Nicholas Morrow brought McCaffrey down.
Third-and-4 from the Raiders 49, 2 minutes left
▪ The play: Out of the shotgun formation, the Panthers handed it off to McCaffrey, who gained three yards.
▪ What went wrong: The Panthers had all of their best pass catchers on the field, including Samuel, Moore, McCaffrey, Anderson and tight end Ian Thomas, perhaps hoping to have the Raiders guess pass. The Raiders were lined up in a man-to-man defense, with one safety back. Abram lined up in the box as a spy.
When the Panthers snapped the ball, the Raiders’ first instinct was to stop the run and they guessed right.
Bridgewater handed it off to McCaffrey for the fourth consecutive time. McCaffrey, who was tackled by Morrow again, was half a yard short of the first down.
The clocks runs down to 1:23 remaining and the Panthers have it at the Raiders 45 yard line. It was a huge stop for the Raiders.
Fourth-and-short from the Raiders 45, 1:23 left
All the Panthers needed was half a yard. They lined up in an I-formation with McCaffrey behind fullback Alex Armah. The Raiders loaded eight players in the box again to stop the run. Instead of pitching it to McCaffrey, they handed it to their Armah. The Raiders were not fooled and the offensive line got no push. The Raiders stopped Armah in the backfield a yard shy of the first down.
Prior to that rushing attempt, Armah had 15 rushes for 26 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons. It turned out to be the wrong play.
When asked whether he was surprised he didn’t receive the handoff on the fourth-and-one, McCaffrey said, “I don’t think it matters if I was surprised or not.”
“It was a play we scored before, we’ve ran before and had success. It doesn’t matter,” McCaffrey added. “It happened and we’ve got to move on.”
Panthers coach Matt Rhule said that call is something he’ll have to think about.
The previous drive
The Panthers really didn’t have to be in this position.
With five minutes left, and a 30-27 lead, the Panthers forced the Raiders to a third-and-eight from about the 50-yard line. The Panthers got pressure, and forced Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to make a quick throw. Carr’s pass was slightly off target, and Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas tipped the pass.
But linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who was guarding Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, grabbed Renfrow, and was called for a defensive pass interference. The penalty advanced the ball to the Panthers’ 17-yard-line and gave the Raiders an automatic first down.
Three plays later, Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs punched it in from six yards for his third touchdown run of the day. It ended up being the game-winning score, and now the Panthers are left to wonder, “what if?”
This story was originally published September 14, 2020 at 9:53 AM.
