CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ To beat a team as good as the Los Angeles Rams, you're going to need to play very close to mistake-free football.
The Panthers couldn't do that Sunday, losing 30-27 to the defending NFC champions on a muggy, disappointing day in Charlotte.
Carolina turned the ball over twice in the first half _ one on a fumble by wide receiver DJ Moore and another on a backward pass from Cam Newton toward Moore that was tipped and never got there before the Rams recovered it.
Add that to a litany of other mistakes _ including a late Newton interception _ and the Panthers never led in what was their eighth loss in their past nine regular-season games. Carolina (0-1) does at least have a chance to even its record quickly. The Panthers host Tampa Bay on Thursday night, also at home.
The Panthers played catch-up and played it well after falling behind 13-0 in the second quarter, but the deficit was too much to make up in the NFL season opener for both teams.
There were some very good plays that came from all three units for Carolina: Jermaine Carter Jr.'s punt block, James Bradberry's interception and Christian McCaffrey's two rushing touchdowns among them.
But it still wasn't enough. The Panthers' best chance came when they got the ball back down only three points, 23-20, midway through the fourth quarter. But they went three-and-out after a Cam Newton overthrow of Curtis Samuel, and the Rams then rammed in a touchdown to make it 30-20. Newton threw a bad interception to Rams linebacker Cory Littleton on the next possession, and the Panthers were running out of time..
A late drive by Carolina, fueled by some sensational running by McCaffrey, pulled Carolina to within 30-27 on an Alex Armah 1-yard TD with 1:58 to go. Joey Slye's onsides kick was recovered by the Rams, however, and Los Angeles ran out the clock.
Some quick thoughts on the game:
_ The best thing the Panthers had going for them offensively was McCaffrey. The tailback was Carolina's best running and pass-catching threat, combining for 209 total yards and scoring from 8 and 2 yards out. He was spectacular both in real life and for all his fantasy football owners.
_ The Rams alternated their tailbacks to good effect. Starter Todd Gurley had a few moments, particularly in the fourth quarter, and Rams backup tailback Malcolm Brown scored twice on a day when neither Newton nor Jared Goff threw a touchdown pass for the first three quarters.
_ Panthers kicker Slye scored his first NFL points Sunday and was about even for the game with the Rams' Greg (the Leg) Zuerlein. Slye made kicks from 46 and 52 yards but missed from 53; Zuerlein hit from 56, 49 and 27 but had a late miss from 41 and wasn't as effective on his kickoffs.
_ Coolest thing from pregame: The Panthers honored their superfan, Greg "Catman" Good, by having former Carolina wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad bang the "Keep Pounding" drum in a Catman No. 87 jersey.
Good, who died in July at age 62, was famous for his electric blue wig and his frequent appearances during Panthers' TV broadcasts from Section 104. Muhammad was his favorite player, and Good routinely wore Muhammad's jersey as part of his costume.
_ One of the game's scarier moments came when McCaffrey tried to hurdle Rams veteran safety Eric Weddle in the second quarter. Weddle stayed low and caught McCaffrey's knee in the earhole of his helmet. He ended up leaving the game for good, rolling away on a cart with a head laceration and a potential concussion.
Panthers rookie defensive end Brian Burns had an active day as a pass rusher, although he wasn't credited with any sacks. Defensive tackle Kawann Short also got some good push up the middle, once leading to two hits of Goff in a row.
