The Carolina Panthers defensive unit continues to be, well, downright offensive as witnessed in Week 14. Carolina built a 23-7 halftime lead at home against NFC South rival Atlanta, only to watch the defense give up 24 unanswered points in the second half. And Olindo Mare shanked another big field goal. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Carolina Panthers!
While the NFL post game shows cover the scoring plays, I look for the less visible but equally crucial plays that sustain drives, spring the big plays, or change momentum. Here is my analysis, as a Panthers fan, of these key plays, both good ("The Gamers") and bad ("The Lamers") that took place during Carolina's Week 14 epic collapse against the Atlanta Falcons.
1st Quarter
5:35, Sean McDermott, Def. Coord. - Lamer. Score tied 0-0, ATL ball on CAR 5. The Panthers secondary failed to cover Roddy White repeatedly on Atlanta's second possession. The Falcons faced two third downs on this 10 play, 62 yard drive and both third downs were converted on Roddy White receptions. White ended the drive with a five yard touchdown after Captain Munnerlyn got confused and left White completely uncovered in the corner of the end zone.After the play Munnerlyn and Darius Butler were pointing at one another, obviously confused by the broken coverage. In all, Roddy White had 4 receptions for 33 yards and TD on the drive and McDermott's defensive unit did nothing to slow him down.
2:58, Cam Newton, QB - Gamer. Panthers trail 0-7, CAR ball on ATL 38. On 3rd-and-3 Cam Newton lined up in shotgun. Newton rolled right by design and finding nothing he reversed his field to the left, juking LB Mike Peterson at the line of scrimmage. Cam stretched for a four yard gain, extending a drive that ended in a touchdown.
:07, Rob Chudzinski, Off. Coord - Gamer. Panthers trail 0-7, CAR ball on ATL 6. Near the end zone Newton again lined up in shotgun. He faked a QB draw and as soon as he took his first step toward the line of scrimmage, the linebackers and safety came forward. This allowed Jeremy Shockey to slip behind the coverage as Cam Newton executed a nifty jump pass for a touchdown. The play was a beautiful design by Chudzinski, catching the Falcons spying into the backfield anticipating another QB draw.
2nd Quarter
8:46, Jason Baker, P - Gamer. Score tied 7-7, CAR punts from CAR 49. Jason Baker drops a punt that bounces at the Atlanta six yard line and is downed by Captain Munnerlyn at the four, pinning the Falcons against their own end zone. Two plays later the Panthers defense put two points on the board with a safety thanks to Baker's perfect punt..
7:18, Antwan Applewhite, DE - Gamer. Score tied 7-7, ATL ball on ATL 8. On 3rd-and-6 Matt Ryan lined up in shotgun and dropped back into the end zone. Antwan Applewhite beat right guard Sam Baker, pushing Baker backward and slipping the block, sacking Ryan in the end zone for a safety.
7:02 Byron Bell, G & Brandon LaFell, WR - Gamers. Panthers lead 9-7, CAR ball on CAR 26. On 2nd-and-10 DeAngelo Williams lined up behind Cam Newton and took a handoff off right tackle. Guard Byron Bell pulled and sealed linebacker Mike Peterson. LaFell was lined up in the right slot and made a perfect block on safety Thomas DeCoud, ultimately putting DeCoud on the turf as Williams hit the hole. Center Ryan Kalil also pulled and led the way for Williams through the hole created by Bell and LaFell. The blocking was so good that Kalil had nobody to block and simply kept running until DeAngelo outran him on his way to an untouched 74-yard touchdown.
3:15 Byron Bell, G & Ryan Kalil, C - Gamers. Panthers lead 16-7, CAR ball on ATL 44. On 3rd-and-14 Cam Newton lined up in shotgun with Jonathan Stewart flanking him. Newton faked a screen pass to Stewart to the left, then threw a short screen to Greg Olsen in the right flat. Guard Byron Bell and center Ryan Kalil pulled with Olsen and set up a wall of blockers. Bell made a great block on a linebacker just past the line of scrimmage as Olsen cut back against James Sanders making him miss. Kalil sprinted all the way down field, making a key block on Thomas DeCoud at the 12 yard line (32 yards from the line of scrimmage) as Olsen scored on a 44-yard touchdown, pushing the Panthers lead to 23-7.
3rd Quarter
12:26 and 11:14 Darius Butler, CB - Gamer. Panthers lead 23-7, ATL ball on CAR 12. Twice on this drive Darius Butler was lined up in man coverage against Julio Jones. On a 1st-and-10 from the Panthers 30 Jones ran a streak down left sideline. Matt Ryan slightly under threw the pass and Butler broke it up in the end zone. Three plays later the Falcons ran the same play, this time from the 12. Once again, Butler broke up the pass to Jones in the end zone and the Falcons ultimately settled for a field goal, cutting the Panthers lead to 23-10.
9:34, Cam Newton, QB - Lamer. Panthers lead 23-10, CAR ball on CAR 40. On 1st-and-10 Cam Newton dropped back to pass. The pocket collapsed and DT Corey Peters had Newton in his grasp and was pulling him down for a sack when Cam inexplicably attempted a left handed flip pass to Jonathan Stewart. The decision was terrible and the pass was intercepted by Mike Peterson.
9:03, James Anderson, LB - Lamer. Panthers lead 23-10, ATL ball on CAR 31. Matt Ryan lined up under center with RB Jacquizz Rodgers behind him. Ryan play faked to Rodgers and rolled to his right. Rodgers ran a wheel route down the left sideline. James Anderson ended up in man coverage on Rodgers as the Falcons RB blew past Anderson for a touchdown reception in the back corner of the end zone, cutting Carolina's lead to 23-17.
4th Quarter
7:28, Travelle Wharton, G - Gamer. Panthers trail 23-24, CAR ball on CAR 47. After the Falcons took their first lead of the game, the Panthers needed to sustain a drive. On 2nd-and-10 Cam Newton lined up in shotgun with DeAngelo Williams to his left. Newton ran a read option play, faked the handoff to Williams, and kept the ball on a run left. Wharton chipped a defensive lineman then pancaked LB Sean Witherspoon, opening a huge hole for Newton to run for a 12-yard gain and a first down.
5:16, Olindo Mare, K - Lamer. Panthers trail 23-24, CAR ball on ATL 18. Kicker Olindo Mare lined up for a go-ahead 36-yard field goal late in the game. The ball was lined up on the right hash. The snap and hold were good, but Mare shanked the kick, pulling it wide left. The "Boos" rained down from nearly every Panthers fan at Bank of America Stadium, and rightfully so.This play more than any other contributed to the Panthers loss.
4:28, Darius Butler, CB & Sherrod Martin, S - Lamers. Panthers trail 23-24, ATL ball on ATL 25. Two plays after the devastating Olindo Mare missed field goal, Matt Ryan lined up under center with Julio Jones split wide left. Darius Butler had Jones in man coverage and Jones ran a deep post, getting a step on Butler. Safety Sherrod Martin took a terrible angle as he broke on the pass, failing to even get a hand on Jones after the catch while Butler missed on a diving tackle. Jones took the ball 75-yards to the house, upping the Falcons lead to 31-23 and sealing the Panthers loss.
4:08, Steve Smith, WR - Gamer. Panthers trail 23-31, CAR ball on CAR 20. Facing 3rd-and-10 and needing a touchdown and 2-point conversion, Cam Newton threw a bomb down the left sideline to Steve Smith. Smith did what he does better than nearly any other player in the league as he out-leaped CB Dunta Robinson and tip-toed along the left sideline, coming down with a huge 48-yard gain, breathing life into a possible Panthers game-tying score. But the drive ultimately stalled after four consecutive incompletions, and the Panthers found a way to lose yet again.
Andrew Sweat is a North Carolina resident and loyal Panthers fan. More from this author:
Gamers and Lamers - Week 13 vs. Tampa Bay
Gamers and Lamers - Week 12 vs. Indianapolis
Gamers and Lamers - Week 11 vs. Detroit
