GLENDALE, Ariz. _ Sitting on the bench at State Farm Stadium, having just tossed his second touchdown of the first half, Kyle Allen put into words exactly what everyone watching him was thinking:
"That was (expletive) beautiful."
Allen was referring to his 52-yard strike to D.J. Moore, who took a deep crossing route about 35 yards after the catch and into the end zone. It was weaving and winding as he navigated downfield blocks from Jarius Wright and Curtis Samuel at the exact right time.
So yeah, what he said.
But really, Allen's comment applies to much more than just that one throw.
The Panthers picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, out-matching the Arizona Cardinals, 38-20. It was a complete departure from Carolina's first two games of the season, a pair of disappointing losses ripe with self sabotage. Instead, against Arizona, there was no foot-shooting or "missed opportunities" to bemoan.
Make no mistake: The Panthers needed this win, and now. They needed it in the standings, to prevent an 0-3 start that almost certainly would have cratered their playoff chances. (Since 1980, only six of 176 teams to begin a season 0-3 have made the postseason). They needed it to keep pace in the NFC South, as they now find themselves just one game behind Tampa Bay and New Orleans. They needed it to be an umbrella for all the negative clouds that have honed in on Bank of America Stadium for the past year.
Most of all, they needed it because they needed hope.
After Sunday's offensive outburst, they have it.
It all starts with and circles back to Allen, the second-year backup tasked with filling in for an injured Cam Newton. Newton missed practice all this week after re-injuring his left foot against Tampa Bay, giving Allen a full week to prepare for his second career start. And considering his first came in Week 17 last year _ after New Orleans had already clinched home-field advantage in the playoffs and the Panthers were eliminated from contention _ this game carried more gravitas.
And no matter how bad Arizona's defense is _ the Cardinals allowed 458.5 yards per game through two weeks, second-most in the NFL _ there is no escaping the fact Allen put on a masterful performance in his Arizona homecoming.
Allen finished the day 19-for-26 with 261 yards and four touchdowns, and his stat line doesn't fully do his afternoon justice. He routinely threw receivers open, spreading the ball out as evenly as offensive coordinator Norv Turner would like. Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore both scored, and Greg Olsen had two touchdowns of his own in addition to 75 yards receiving. Allen did fumble twice, but both times were because his offensive linemen got beat _ and even then, he recovered one of his own.
After two weeks of glaringly inconsistent quarterback play from Newton, Allen's breakout Sunday could not have stood out more. He finished with just the 11th four-touchdown game in team history, and the first since Newton did so against the Packers in 2017. Some of his throws, including on-the-run tosses to Olsen and Samuel, were almost unbelievable if you didn't see them yourself.
His success opened up run lanes for Christian McCaffrey, too. In particular, one lane.
Midway through the third quarter, McCaffrey made a jump-cut to sidestep blocks from Greg Van Roten and Olsen _ and then he was gone, 76 yards and into the end zone. He juked an Arizona rookie safety Deionte Thompson almost out of his shoes, not to take away from him high-stepping a late ankle tackle to stay upright.
By the time Carolina's defense caught up to the surging momentum, it was too late for Arizona. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft, ran for 69 yards and constantly eluded Panthers defenders, but he also threw two second-half interceptions that shifted the balance of power. Add in eight sacks, including three from outside linebacker/defensive end Mario Addison and two from rookie Christian Miller, and Sunday's second half quickly got out of hand.
This one win does not absolve Carolina of its two previous blemishes. That 0-2 hole can't be erased. The points Allen and Co. put up can't be retroactively shifted back to another week.
What it does do is stop the bleeding. After going 1-9 in its previous 10 games, this Panthers team _ and fan base _ were desperate for a win. Coach Ron Rivera was fed up of answering questions about Newton's health this week, to the point that he calmly walked out of his midweek press conference.
Things in Charlotte were tense, to say the least.
That pressure should ease up, at least for a day. The Panthers' season is not over before October, and even though maybe it shouldn't be, that's notable.
That's what happens when for once, you play, as Allen said, beautiful football.
