Depleted Carolina Panthers defense just keeps pounding

The Carolina Panthers’ best defender watched the game on TV in a room in the bowels of the stadium.

Their top pass-rusher was out of the game for Houston’s final offensive series with cramps.

No Luke Kuechly. No Charles Johnson. No problem.

At least not on this day, a scorcher played under a relentless Sunday sun that sent fans seeking shelter on the shady side of Bank of America Stadium and prompted several Panthers players to get intravenous fluids at halftime.

But the Panthers’ defense survived a last-minute throw into the end zone and Carolina beat Houston 24-17 in a game that took three hours, 39 minutes, the longest regulation game in team history.

“I felt like I was out there forever,” Panthers cornerback Josh Norman said. “They were throwing the ball left and right. I was just trying to be in the best position I could.”

Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett, making just his third career start, threw it left and right, and often low.

Mallett attempted 58 passes, completing 27, and had the Texans in position to tie the game in the last minute. But on second-and-10 from the Panthers’ 14, defensive lineman Kawann Short shot around right tackle Kendall Lamm, a rookie from Appalachian State, and appeared to sack Mallett.

But Mallett flipped the ball away before his knee hit the ground, and was called for intentional grounding. The penalty cost the Texans a down and 12 yards.

Two plays later, Mallett overthrew DeAndre Hopkins in the back of the end zone on fourth down.

Short, a third-year defensive tackle, was in for Johnson on the final series after Johnson cramped up on a day when temperatures reached 90 degrees. Short said he had a good “get-off” on his pressure of Mallett.

“(Lamm) gave me a passive set so I took the outside and dipped a little bit,” Short said. “He just threw it before his knee touched the ground. Stuff like that happens. You can’t be too mad. But it gave the defense a little momentum.”

The Panthers’ defensive depth played a big role in the win.

In addition to Short sliding to end, third-year linebacker A.J. Klein played well in place of Kuechly, who missed his first NFL game a week after sustaining a concussion at Jacksonville.

Klein had four tackles and his first career interception, which set up Philly Brown’s 36-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers took Klein out in a lot of obvious passing situations. But he was in zone coverage when Mallett threw down the middle of the field for tight end Garrett Graham on second-and-13.

Klein rolled back in coverage and undercut the route, intercepting the pass and returning it 8 yards to the Texans’ 36.

Klein tied an NCAA career record for linebackers with four interception returns for touchdowns at Iowa State. But he was happy to let Cam Newton and Brown take care or the scoring, which they did on the ensuing play.

“I was looking for the end zone, but I didn’t make it,” Klein said. “But most importantly you want to secure the ball and give it back to the offense. They get paid to do that. I get paid to play defense.”

Klein led a solid effort by a linebacking corps that was missing Kuechly, who remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Rookie Shaq Thompson had four tackles after not being credited with any in Week 1, and Thomas Davis tied for safety Kurt Coleman for the team lead with nine tackles.

Thompson said Klein kept the linebackers late watching film a couple of nights last week. Coleman said he wasn’t surprised that Klein played well.

“I commend him for stepping in without a hitch. I knew he would,” Coleman said. “I had no issues with him going in because he works really, really hard and he made the plays when we needed him.”

Norman followed up his monster performance against the Jaguars by blanketing Hopkins, the former Clemson wideout who had 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a Week 1 loss to Kansas City.

Mallett targeted Hopkins 11 times, but he caught only five passes for 53 yards.

Norman said he was on Hopkins about 99 percent of the time. Most of the snaps he was lined up directly across from Hopkins, close enough to touch him – which at one point Norman did after Hopkins reached across the line toward him.

“It was like he was trying to touch me,” Norman said. “So I just slapped him down.”

The Panthers weren’t perfect defensively. They allowed the Texans to march down the field for a touchdown on their opening drive of the second half, and gave up a lot of late yardage.

Cornerback Charles Tillman was beaten deep on a double move by Nate Washington, and defensive end Kony Ealy had two penalties that resulted in first downs on the Texans’ final drive.

But they survived on a day when Kuechly’s sole contribution was congratulating teammates when they came in the locker room after the game. The hope is No. 59 will play a more prominent role when the Saints (0-2) come to Charlotte next weekend.

“Luke will be fine,” Norman said. “We’re looking forward to having him back next week.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2015 at 8:22 PM with the headline "Depleted Carolina Panthers defense just keeps pounding."