CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Teddy Bridgewater had yet another chance to win the game.
The Carolina Panthers got the ball with 2:48 remaining, down five points.
Instead, it was the seventh time this season that Bridgewater has had the ball in his hands for a chance to a tie or win game, and the offense has fallen short.
A 1-yard pass to Curtis Samuel on fourth-and-8 ended it and embodied everything that this game one was for the Panthers. An inability to get out of their own way and strange decision-making that never stood a chance, resulting in a 32-27 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Panthers fell to 4-9.
The Panthers came into Sunday’s game against the Broncos fresh of their bye and two weeks removed from a last-second loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
But instead of looking refreshed or prepared, Carolina looked like a team that was tired and couldn’t get out of its own way on offense, defense or special teams.
On offense, they were without two big offensive weapons — DJ Moore and Christian McCaffrey. But this was McCaffrey’s 10th missed game of the season.
Bridgewater’s game management was questionable throughout all four quarters and it took him too long to start putting together drives. In the first half, the Panthers couldn’t figure out an offensive identity.
With 1:33 remaining before halftime, the Panthers had a chance to get some points on the board. But a drive that started at Carolina’s 25 and reached the Denver 49 stalled after Bridgewater was sacked for a loss of 16 yards, moving the Panthers out of field-goal range, despite the quarterback having plenty of time to get rid of the football. It was one of four times Bridgewater was sacked Sunday, and at least two of them Bridgewater was responsible for.
The Panthers had 88 net yards in the first half compared to the Broncos’ 137. They went into halftime with Bridgewater as the leading rusher and Davis as the leading receiver. It just took too long to all get on the same page.
Coming into the game, Panthers coach Matt Rhule talked about how the Panthers’ offense performed in the red zone would be important in determining the outcome. The Panthers scored three touchdowns in the red zone; that wasn’t the issue. It was getting there. Four drives ended in punts, including the first three of the game. Dropped passes by running back Mike Davis and tight end Ian Thomas didn’t help matters.
In the second half, the Panthers finally got wide receivers Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel more involved. Samuel was only targeted once and did not have a single reception in the first two quarters. In the second half, he caught seven passes for 68 yards and the Panthers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, finally taking advantage of the Broncos’ limited secondary that was hampered by injuries.
On special teams, Trenton Cannon’s hesitation allowed for a 83-yard punt return touchdown in the first quarter. Natrell Jamerson was responsible for two special teams penalties, including the one on the final drive of the game that backed the Panthers up to the 27-yard line.
Defensively, the Panthers’ cornerback rotation of Rasul Douglas, Donte Jackson and Troy Pride Jr. was ineffective. Douglas was on the wrong side of three Drew Lock touchdowns, while Lock had statistically one of his best games of the year. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns, the first four-touchdown game of his career. It was just the fifth time in Lock’s career he has not thrown an interception in a game.
There were opportunities for the Panthers on Sunday like there have been throughout the year. Untimely mistakes on the field and from the play-calling pushed this game out of reach.
