CHARLOTTE — Cleveland Browns rookie kicker Cade York buried a 58-yard, game-winning kick with eight seconds to play Sunday after the Carolina Panthers took the lead — their first of the game — via kicker Eddy Pineiro’s 34-yard make just 53 seconds earlier.
In quarterback Baker Mayfield’s home-opening debut for his new team — against his old team — Carolina lost a heartbreaker, 26-24.
The teams exchanged the lead twice within the final 90 seconds. Carolina took its first lead with 1:01 to play by marching 64 yards on seven plays. Mayfield went 16-for-27 for 235 yards, one touchdown and one interception on the game.
The drive to put the Panthers in front was set up by quickly gaining 26 yards on a pitch-and-catch from Mayfield to DJ Moore. Then a check down to Christian McCaffrey popped for 21 yards. The Browns were flagged for an illegal horse-collar tackle, adding 15 more yards to the gain.
From the Browns 15, Carolina called three running plays knowing it had a field goal chance waiting.
Pineiro hit the kick, but the Carolina defense allowed the Browns to reach the Panthers 40, leaving the game in the rookie kicker’s hands, er, foot.
A roar of excitement from the fans at the Bank of America Stadium greeted Mayfield as he ran onto the field to open the game. By the second quarter and again at halftime, boos rained down on Mayfield and the home team. Those boos came prematurely, though as Mayfield and the Panthers had a chance to win the game.
But Mayfield’s late-game heroics did not matter.
Mayfield quarterbacked an thrilling game filled with high, lows and team penalties. At one point in the first half, Carolina had 61 penalty yards compared to 18 total yards.
Several times on Sunday it felt like the game was over. But each time doubt sunk in, Carolina struck back.
Down 23-14, Mayfield hit receiver Robbie Anderson on a 75-yard post route that swung the game. Anderson capitalized on the Browns’ broken coverage and scored easily.
But each time the offense found a small spark, the defense responded by getting ran over by Browns running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Trailing 20-7 late in the third quarter and desperate for a score, the Panthers strung together its most impressive series. Carolina traveled 75 yards in four minutes and 44 seconds, capping the drive with a 7-yard Mayfield rushing touchdown.
Though the end result worked, the drive did not necessarily go according to plan. McCaffrey had the largest gain of the series by scooping a mishandled snap from Mayfield off the ground and running it 22 yards into Cleveland territory.
Three plays later McCaffrey gained nine yards on a third-and-seven run, dipping and dashing smoothly through Browns defenders. Then Mayfield converted a 7-yard score, pulling the team within one score.
Each time Carolina scored, the Browns were unfazed. Instead, Cleveland methodically marched down the field, taking time off the clock. Both of the second-half scoring drives lasted about seven minutes. Cleveland did not score a second-half touchdown.
That’s Browns head coach game plan.
The Browns ran effectively throughout Nick Chubb had 79 rushing yards on 12 first half carries. He rushed 114 yards on 22 carries. Kareem Hunt scored twice — one rushing and the other through the air — and averaged 8.5 yards per carry through two quarters. Hunt finished with 11 carries for 46 yards.
Carolina was outcoached and less physical than Cleveland. All afternoon Mayfield had defenders in his face while the Panthers gained just (total) rushing yards. As evident early in the second quarter when Mayfield had two consecutive passes tipped at the line of scrimmage. On third down he threw an interception to safety Grant Delpit on a pass over the middle intended for Shi Smith.
The turnover led to the Browns first touchdown, a one-yard Hunt reception from Brissett.
That series foreshadowed the Panthers lingering problems. The Browns defensive line dominated Carolina. Cleveland sacked Mayfield 4 and hit him 6. Clowney had two pass deflections. The Browns defensive line totaled five pass deflections.
