How do you (almost) beat the Chiefs? Panthers found the blueprint with their play calls
When the Panthers failed to convert on third-and-8, deep in Kansas City territory early in the first quarter, coach Matt Rhule had one of two choices to make.
Take the easy three points, which would give the Panthers a 3-0 lead, or go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs’ 9-yard line. A failed attempt threatened to give the Chiefs the ball back and dig the Panthers an early hole. A successful attempt, though, would give the Panthers (3-6) momentum against a Chiefs team (8-1) that, on paper, looked far superior.
So Rhule chose to go for it.
On fourth down, the Panthers ran a play-action fake, and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater found Christian McCaffrey open for a touchdown.
How McCaffrey was so open is unclear. But the decision to go for it signaled that the Panthers were going to be aggressive Sunday. And that they were. The Panthers went for it on fourth down three times and converted all three attempts. They also tried two onside kickoffs, though, neither were successful.
“We came to win,” Rhule said of the decision. “We came to play to win. We wanted to get a win and tried to play that way.”
The aggressive play-calling almost worked in the Panthers’ favor, too. All three of the Panthers fourth-down conversions led to touchdowns.
The Panthers led the Chiefs at halftime, 17-13, after scoring touchdowns on two of their four first-half drives. And while the Chiefs took the lead in the second half, the Panthers kept it close enough to have a chance to win it on the game’s final drive.
The offense got the ball back at its own 9-yard line with 1:26 left in the game. Trailing 33-31, a field goal would have won the game.
But for the sixth time this season, the Panthers came up short.
Before Sunday’s game, the Panthers had been one of the more aggressive teams in the league this season, going for it on fourth down 10 times. They had converted five of those 10 attempts.
But on Sunday, the Panthers took the word aggressive to a new level.
“I think that’s what we needed,” Rhule said. “We needed some energy, but our guys were here to play no matter what.”
The second fourth-down conversion came in the second quarter. The Panthers were stopped at their own 45-yard line on third-and-7. On fourth down, the Panthers lined up in a punt formation.
Punter Joe Charlton received the ball, faked like he was about to punt it, then threw a perfect pass to an open Brandon Zylstra, who was streaking down the middle of the field.
The play caught the Chiefs off guard, as there were multiple players open on the play.
The third fourth-down conversion was Bridgewater scrambling to make a play on fourth-and-14 when no one was open.
Rhule said the Panthers’ inability to score touchdowns when reaching the red zone has kept them from winning tight games this season. He said that’s why they decided to go for it on fourth-and-3.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Panthers scored touchdowns on only 53.8% of their red-zone opportunities, which is ranked 26th in the league. Often times, they have had to settle for field goals, which have cost them close games. That was something they couldn’t afford against the Chiefs, who boasted the NFL’s fourth-best offense.
But as aggressive as the Panthers were on Sunday, it didn’t always work out in their favor.
After cutting the Chiefs’ lead to 26-24 early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers attempted an onside kick. The play caught the Chiefs by surprise.
However, it wasn’t executed properly. Kickoffs must travel at least 10 yards before the kicking team can touch it. But Slye’s kick traveled only 9 yards. The Panthers were called for a penalty, giving the Chiefs prime field position at the Carolina 39-yard line.
Seven plays later, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes found Tyreek Hill open for a touchdown, and the Chiefs took a two-possession lead with 5:47 seconds left.
“With a game like this you come up short, it’s like man you are able to, yeah, measure yourself next to the defending champs,” Bridgewater said, “but at the same time you don’t want to be satisfied with just coming up short. We play this game to win.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 7:24 PM.
