Carolina Panthers beat Texans 24-17, move to 2-0

The Carolina Panthers went into Sunday’s game without their best defensive player while having to play on the other side of the ball against the game’s most impactful defender.

It wasn’t always pretty, and it was surely long, but Carolina (2-0) won its home opener against the Houston Texans 24-17.

Playing without middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, out with a concussion, the Carolina defense held tough against the Texans (0-2) in Ryan Mallett’s third career start. After blocking a 53-yard field goal attempt by the Panthers, the Texans drove to the 14 before an intentional grounding penalty moved them back. Mallett’s desperate end zone throw to DeAndre Hopkins on fourth down couldn’t be hauled in.

Defensive end Kony Ealy had two key third-down penalties that prolonged the Houston drive.

If this felt like the longest Panthers game you’ve seen, there’s a reason. Sunday’s win was the longest regulation game in Carolina’s 21-year history (three hours, 39 minutes).

Cam Newton had 195 yards passing, but his 77 rushing yards helped the most. The Panthers rushed for more than 100 yards for the 13th straight game, the longest active streak in the NFL. Newton got a chunk of his rushing yards on read option plays.

“(The read option) opens up some things as far as running the ball because it really is a triple threat,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “You are going to hand the ball off, you are going to keep the ball or you’re going to throw the ball. If you can catch them at the right defense, freeze them at the right time, we have a chance for anice play every time.”

Three who mattered

J.J. Watt: The all-world defensive lineman had a sack, tipped three passes and affected even more. Still, right tackle Mike Remmers, with some help from right guard Trai Turner, held his own.

Shaq Thompson: A week after playing just a quarter of the snaps, the rookie linebacker was in for nearly the entire game and made two big hits in the second quarter.

Ted Ginn Jr.: Along with his touchdown catch, Ginn had a big day on special teams with punt returns of 11, 16 and 17 yards.

Observations

▪  Star Lotulelei missed his second straight game as he rests his injured foot. You can expect him to be active next week against the Saints. In a surprise move, rookie running back Cameron Artis-Payne was also inactive a week after he played just four snaps and had zero carries. The Panthers had to make room to keep both Joe Webb and Kevin Norwood active.

▪  Even if Kuechly had been on the field, it’s likely the Texans still would have scored their third-quarter touchdown in the back of the end zone. Garrett Graham corralled the ball and got his feet down in the black on a pass over A.J. Klein. Not much Klein could have done about it.

▪  Ginn had a bad drop on third down in the second quarter. The ball hit Ginn right in the hands. He made up for it on the next series when he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Newton.

▪  Line judge Carl Johnson had to leave the game midway through the fourth quarter because of heat exhaustion. It was close to 90 degrees around 4 p.m. when Johnson went to the sideline.

▪  To great fanfare, Charlotte’s Stephen Curry banged the Keep Pounding drum to start the game. He and Newton spoke on the sideline during warmups, and Curry complimented Newton on his Under Armour Superman cleats. Curry is also represented by Under Armour.

Worth mentioning

▪  The Panthers did a cool thing late in the third quarter after Newton’s rushing touchdown. One side of the stadium chanted “Keep” with the other replying “Pounding” during a TV timeout. That could become a thing.

▪  Newton’s 2-yard touchdown rush was the 34th of his career, tying him with Daunte Culpepper for ninth all-time among quarterbacks. Otto Graham holds the record for quarterbacks with 44 in his career.

▪  Rivera is seven-for-20 all-time after winning a second-quarter challenge on a pass from Mallett to Hopkins that hit the ground.

They said it

▪  “We kept fighting, and we kept doing the things we needed to do to win, at the right time. When you win in this league, it’s a big deal.” – Panthers coach Ron Rivera.

▪  “We didn’t give up too many sacks. We had to run the ball efficiently and make some plays down the field.” – Cam Newton, on dealing with the Texans’ defensive line.

▪  “I don’t think it’s confidence, I just think it’s guys doing their job. I’m supposed to throw them the ball, and they’re supposed to catch it. They’re professional athletes.” – Newton, on his confidence in his wide receivers.

▪  “We tried to force (Newton) to give the ball up a few times. he ran the quarterback power a few times and we tried to clog the middle, and he just made a play.” – Houston defensive end Jadeveon Clowney on Newton’s touchdown rush.

▪  “We never give up on each other and as long as we go out and continue to play and we show we’re open, Cam Newton is giong to try to get us the ball.” – Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.

▪  “I think the great thing about this team is that we’re finding areas we’re weak at and getting better the next week.” – Panthers safety Kurt Coleman.

▪  “He wants to put it in the end zone, and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it in there.” – Rivera, on Cam Newton’s airborne touchdown.

P@nthers

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers beat Texans 24-17, move to 2-0."