– I’ll take “Unexpected Outcomes” for $400, Alex.
– Answer: This team came unexpectedly close to upsetting the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 of the 2020 season.
– Who are the Carolina Panthers?
– Correct. Carolina fell just three points shy of upending the NFL’s top dogs at their own stadium on Sunday.
“Almost” won’t get you far, especially in the standings. Today’s 33-31 loss may still go a long way in reaffirming another type of answer for this young football team.
That answer is embodied by Matt Rhule, who has his Panthers competing week in and week out no matter who they play. In what was supposed to be an ugly season in the first year of a total rebuild, the 45-year-old rookie head coach has seemingly expedited the process, with Sunday’s game coming as the most promising sign yet.
Carolina was never out of the slobber knocker against the heavyweight Chiefs. Never.
Despite Patrick Mahomes’ 372 yards and four touchdowns, despite Tyreek Hill (113 yards, two touchdowns) and Travis Kelce (159 yards) going off—the Panthers stuck around. They even outplayed the champs at times.
Even with the league’s most-imposing scoring machine on the opposing sideline, it was Carolina’s offense that controlled things early on. Kickstarted by a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that lasted a whopping 8:53, the Panthers outgained and outlasted their counterparts for much of the game.
Carolina dominated the time-of-possession battle, holding onto the rock at an edge of 38:01 to 21:59. While that ultimately didn’t stop Mahomes, it kept the ball away from him a lot, limiting any further damage he could have done.
The Panthers also totaled 435 yards to Kansas City’s 397. That impressive output was led by a returning Christian McCaffrey, who was very much back to form after missing six games. McCaffrey rushed for 69 yards and a score while adding another end zone visit and 82 more yards through the air, chalking up 28 combined touches.
McCaffrey wasn’t the only weapon finding his comfort zone either, as Curtis Samuel continued his breakout tour. The fourth-year wideout reeled in each of his nine targets for a team-high 105 yards. He also scored on a slick 14-yard dump from Teddy Bridgewater early in the second quarter to give the Panthers a surprising 14-3 lead.
Curtis Samuel has transformed himself from deep threat to 3rd down possession receiver to deadly red zone weapon. So good. #PayCurtisSamuel. Pass it on.
pic.twitter.com/KRhIHiqYpZ— Edgar Salmingo, Jr. ✌️ (@PanthersAnalyst) November 8, 2020
Samuel has now scored five times over the last three games.
Bridgewater’s performance proved that the Panthers didn’t bring a knife to a gun fight against the sport’s most powerful firearm.
Teddy willed his unit into this fight, passing for 310 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions while completing 36 of his 49 throws. He played a little Superman too, soaring for an incredible conversion on a 4th & 14 and drawing himself into the end zone to keep Carolina alive in the fourth.
4th and 14 and Teddy Bridgewater makes some magic. What an effort.pic.twitter.com/ITc7rN3Bc6
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 8, 2020
Although he literally went above and beyond, Bridgewater is going to lose a shootout with Mahomes in Kansas City 10 times out of 10 and that showed.
There were other positive signs though, such as Carolina’s resilience and resourcefulness. From successfully faking another punt to absorbing every hit the Chiefs offense threw their way, the Panthers are clearly a team who has bought into a system and a common goal.
So, even though his team sits at 3-6 with four straight losses, Rhule’s job won’t be in jeopardy any time soon. Indeed, his Panthers may find themselves in the league’s tournament of champions sooner rather than later.
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