Panthers post first road win in 9 tries, take aim at NFC South after win against Seattle
Third down has been the Panthers’ nemesis all season.
Carolina entered Sunday converted just 27% of its third downs. But the Panthers’ offense played with urgency in Seattle, motivated by interim coach Steve Wilks’ challenge to win consecutive games and a road contest for the first time this season.
Carolina converted three first downs on its opening drive and finished 6 for 13 on the critical down. An explosive first quarter — filled with a touchdown, a field goal and a Jaycee Horn interception — helped the Panthers hold off a Seahawks’ rally in the second half to win 30-24 at Lumen Field.
The victory is Wilks’ fourth of the season after taking over for former head coach Matt Rhule. Wilks won three games in 2018 as the Arizona Cardinals’ coach. Carolina (5-8) gained a game on the NFC-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7), who lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
“We always talk about not allowing it to get in the way, whatever it may be,” Wilks said. “It started with the coaching change.
“I can go on and on about the different things, with players leaving, coaches leaving whatever, those men in that locker room, find a way to refocus and get it done.”
After enduring a Week 5 head-coaching change, three different starting quarterbacks and trading their best player, the Panthers’ playoff hopes are very much alive. The team has a clear identity when victorious, playing stout defense, dominating running the football and controlling time of possession. The Panthers had the ball for nearly 20 more minutes than Seattle.
“We’re an offense that controls the clock and can run the football and use that run game to create big plays in the pass game with play action,” Darnold said. “I think we’re finding our identity as a team and it’s fun to be a part of.”
Wilks and the Panthers’ winning formula were evident in the fourth quarter when linebacker Shaq Thompson sacked quarterback Geno Smith, forcing the Seahawks’ third punt. Up three points, Carolina executed a 10-play, 74-yard drive, capped by an 8-yard Raheem Blackshear touchdown. On the drive, Blackshear carried it three times for 30 yards en route to his first career touchdown.
“We finished the game when we needed to by trying to pound the ball in the fourth quarter,” Wilks said. “When you look at time of possession of 39 minutes, which is critical. (We) really tried to keep Geno (Smith) and those guys off the field with that high-powered offense and those receivers.”
The score came with seven minutes to play but essentially put Seattle away. A 39-yard Eddy Piñeiro field goal with two minutes left bookended 10 fourth-quarter points and resulted in the Panthers’ most complete game of the season.
The Panthers started fast in Seattle by playing physical man-to-man defense against Seahawks Pro Bowl receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Then the offense fed off a tone the Panthers defense set.
Carolina’s opening drive stalled on a third-and-8 situation when running back Chuba Hubbard rushed for 2 yards. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s play call made sense considering Hubbard converted a third-and-10 10 plays earlier. Piñeiro nailed a 47-yard field goal (his ninth-straight make dating back to Week 8) and gave the Panthers an opening-drive 3-0 lead.
Then Horn stole a possession by intercepting Smith’s first pass attempt. Horn made a heads-up play when he moved off his assignment (Metcalf) and roamed into an open passing window occupied by Lockett. Horn intercepted Smith’s pass and returned it 31 yards. Slot receiver Shi Smith scored his first career touchdown one play later via a 13-yard play-action from Darnold.
Just halfway through the first quarter, the Panthers scored 10 points in 21 seconds. Carolina has scored 33 points in the first quarter this season, 10 of which came Sunday.
The Panthers’ defense forced two turnovers, held Seattle’s fifth-ranked offense two points under its season-scoring average and sacked or hit Smith eight times. Linebacker Frankie Luvu and edge rusher Marquis Haynes each had a sack. Thompson led all tacklers with six.
“Anytime you could take the ball or take the ball away early it’s crucial. You’re talking about a momentum changer, particularly in a hostile environment here being on the road,” Wilks said. “Jaycee (Horn) as a whole, man. He was excited all week about this matchup and his challenge and I think we know exactly what happened today.”
Horn held Metcalf in check despite the receiver finishing with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Metcalf was targeted 10 times.
Darnold quarterbacked another clean game coming off the bye week. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.
But the Panthers’ offense goes as D’Onta Foreman does. The bruising running back carried 21 times for a game-high 74 yards. Running back Chuba Hubbard was heavily involved, too. He finished with 14 rushes for 74 yards and a score. Seattle’s 31st-ranked rushing defense was pushed backward by the Panthers’ offensive line. However, Darnold was not kept clean. After not allowing a sack against the Broncos, Seattle sacked Darnold twice and hit him four times.
“And I just wanted people to know, particularly our fans, to understand how committed we are into really trying to win and stay in this division or race,” Wilks said.
The Panthers’ opportunistic defense changed the game, limiting Smith to a 58% completion percentage (14 points lower than his league-leading completion percentage).
Smith was intercepted in the second quarter by cornerback C.J. Henderson on a pass intended for Metcalf. The turnover set up 32-yard Piñeiro field goal six plays later.
The score came just before the two-minute warning. Then the Panthers’ kickoff unit allowed returner Godwin Igwebuike to flip the field. Igwebuike found a seam and returned it 50 yards to Carolina’s 46-yard line. The Seahawks’ two-minute drive ended with a 12-yard Metcalf touchdown. Cornerback T.J. Carrie was covering the Pro Bowl receiver on the scoring play.
Carolina allowed just 10 second-half points.
With the win, the Panthers chances of making the playoffs increased from 8% to 33%. Next week the Panthers host the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8).
“That’s a playoff team that we played today, a good football team,” Wilks said. “To be able to get a win like this on the road, in a hostile environment (against) 12 Man, I think it’s definitely a momentum builder for us. And we definitely have to continue to build off this. We got to go home and protect the bank.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2022 at 7:54 PM.
