CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers quarterback Cam Newton accounted for three touchdowns, but it was Washington that played the better overall game Sundayand edged Carolina, 27-21, in Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina (5-6) now hasn’t won a home game in more than two months. The Panthers’ vaunted defense let the team down too often in this one. No. 2 in the NFL in total yardage allowed coming in, the Panther D gave up three touchdown passes to Taylor Heinicke and couldn’t generate enough consistent pressure.
Although Newton succeeded in spectacular fashion for much of the afternoon, he couldn’t in the final minutes. Newton and the Panthers first got the ball back with 4:13 to go, trailing 24-21, with all three timeouts. But offensive tackle Taylor Moton picked up a holding penalty on the very first play, and Carolina got behind the chains and ended up with a 4th-and-3 on its own 32 with 3:05 to go.
Panther head coach Matt Rhule first sent out the punting unit and then reconsidered, burning a timeout in the process. Newton then threw a pass to a closely-covered Christian McCaffrey, who couldn’t break a tackle from Washington safety Kamren Curl and was inches short.
Washington ended up with another field goal to go ahead 27-21, and Newton got the ball back again at his own 25, with 1:50 left and no timeouts. After moving the Panthers to the Washington 49 and facing a fourth-and-3, Newton took a game-ending sack with 1:05 to go.
Carolina (5-6) and Washington (4-6) were never separated by more than a touchdown as former Carolina coach Ron Rivera won his homecoming game in Charlotte. Rivera hadn’t coached in Bank of America Stadium since he got fired with four games left in the 2019 season by Carolina owner David Tepper.
Although the Panthers had said beforehand they would likely have backup quarterback P.J. Walker also play in the game, the 32-year-old Newton took every offensive snap while playing his first home game for the Panthers in more than two years.
Superman at midfield
Newton’s midfield Superman flex was the most photogenic moment of the day. After the quarterback scored on a 24-yard touchdown run, he took the ball to midfield, placed it on the Panther logo, stood up tall and slowly did his famous “Superman” motion, miming fictional reporter Clark Kent taking off a dress shirt to reveal the “S” logo underneath. For his press conference Thursday, Newton had worn a “press pass” hat with Clark Kent’s name inscribed.
“I’m here for all the oohs and the ahhs — and the boos and the nahs,” Newton had said then. “But I know how it can be when everybody’s pulling in the same direction.”
Every Panther fan and player was pulling in the same direction at that point, as Newton’s second TD of the day gave Carolina a 14-7 lead.
But Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke, formerly one of Newton’s backups in Carolina, played just as well as No. 1 did. Heinicke made some remarkable plays with his arm and his legs, including a fourth-and-3 in the fourth quarter in which he appeared to be sacked but got off a six-yard pass while falling.
The Panthers hadn’t won a home game since Sept. 19 in Charlotte and were trying to reverse a trend where they play well on the road and poorly at home.
Other notes from an entertaining afternoon of football that ultimately worked out badly for the home team:
Packed stadium, wild game
— The stadium was as crowded before the kickoff as I’ve seen it in the post-playoff days, owing no doubt to the troika of Rivera and Newton returning, as well as the fact that for many pre-Panther years Charlotte was a “Washington town” that showed Washington games every week on television.
— Washington executed the double dip to perfection, scoring on touchdown passes on both the final drive of the first half and the first drive of the second half. That turned a 14-7 Panther lead into a 21-14 Washington lead.
— The first half was a back-and-forth affair showcasing fine play by both QBs. Heinicke threw for two touchdowns for Washington and Carolina particularly had trouble guarding “Scary” Terry McLaurin, who was indeed a nightmare for the Panthers.
— Panthers safety Juston Burris had two 15-yard personal-foul penalties in this game for a Carolina team that dubiously came into the contest leading the NFL in total penalties.
— McLaurin caught passes of 39 and 30 yards with Carolina’s best cornerback, Donte Jackson, in what appeared to be one-on-one coverage on both plays. Neither of those went for TDs, but McLaurin’s 12-yard grab in traffic with 14 seconds left in the first half did. That tied the game at 14 going into halftime.
— There were several field-position errors in the Panthers’ punting game Sunday, most of them costing 10 yards or so per punt. Not good by new punter Lachlan Edwards.
— The Panthers offensive line was in flux again. Left tackle Dennis Daley got hurt early with a glute injury. He didn’t return, requiring him to be replaced by rookie Brady Christensen.
— Panther defensive end Morgan Fox had a key first-quarter play, causing an Antonio Gibson fumble in the red zone. Linebacker Frankie Luvu picked up the ball to keep Washington from scoring on that drive.
— Former Panther kicker Joey Slye had a “revenge game” for the second time this season. Slye already had kicked against Carolina once, when he briefly played for Houston. Rivera didn’t trust Slye enough to try a 56-yard field goal late in the third quarter, instead punting. But Slye made a 36-yard field goal with 4:13 to go to give Washington a 24-21 lead.
— Rivera did live up to his old “Riverboat Ron” nickname in the second quarter, going for a 4th-and-5 on Washington’s last drive of the first half, getting it and eventually seeing his team rewarded with a TD. Panthers coach Matt Rhule did the same thing in the first quarter, going for it on fourth-and-1 and getting it on a 15-yard Christian McCaffrey run. The Panthers also scored on that drive.
