Scott Fowler’s bests and worsts from the Panthers’ season-opening loss to the Browns
There is a danger of putting too much stock in any NFL opener, figuring that 1-0 really translates into 17-0, and 0-1 actually means 0-17.
“Everybody made this out to be the Super Bowl,” Panther quarterback Baker Mayfield said Sunday after Carolina lost a heartbreaker, 26-24, to Cleveland. “But there are 16 more games. The Super Bowl is not until February, and this is the beginning of September.”
True enough. The Panthers won their opener in 2021 and in fact started 3-0, before going 2-12 the rest of the year, finishing 5-12 and disintegrating once again at the end of the year.
Sunday’s game, though, is more objectively looked at in a “some good, some bad” sort of way. The Panthers looked at first like they were going to lose 30-0, but then briefly appeared to have pulled the game out with a stupendous fourth quarter, only to lose at the end when Cleveland rookie kicker Cade York made a 58-yard field goal.
Here are the five things I thought the Panthers did best and the five I think they did worst in Week 1:
BEST: The Panthers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter after scoring only seven points total in the previous three. They almost overcame what Rhule called a “severely inefficient” start. That speaks to some nerves and nastiness, but also to some offensive resilience and explosiveness. Remember, if not for the defensive letdown (and a couple of questionable calls) on Cleveland’s final series, Baker Mayfield and company would be celebrated for converting on a two-minute drive to win.
WORST: Run defense. Too often a sore spot for the Panthers, they allowed 217 rushing yards in this one, including 141 on 22 carries to Nick Chubb. Cleveland averaged 5.6 yards per carry and the Panthers had all sorts of trouble getting off the field defensively. Missed tackles were a particular problem.
BEST: The 75-yard post pattern touchdown to Robbie Anderson is the sort of big play the Panthers are counting on Mayfield to make. He showed a knack for throwing the deep ball throughout training camp, and on this one processed the field quickly and understood that Anderson had broken free by five yards. Unlike Cleveland quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who had missed on a couple of deep balls that could have led to TDs in the first half, Mayfield didn’t let this opportunity pass him by.
Anderson, oddly, has been great on Week 1. He’s now had a touchdown catch of 50-plus yards each of the past three years for Carolina in the season opener.
WORST: Carolina’s first five offensive possessions. They were ridiculous, really.
The Panthers looked like a bad middle school team on those possessions, gaining a total of 21 yards on those five possessions. At one point, the team had 61 penalty yards and only 18 total yards from scrimmage. Mayfield seemed to fumble a snap, or get a ball batted down, or both, on every series. Mayfield was officially credited with four fumbles and center Pat Elflein with a fifth. Mayfield also ended up with five balls getting tipped on the day, along with those several mishandled snaps.
BEST: Say this for the Panthers: they sure didn’t overuse Christian McCaffrey. He only had 14 touches. McCaffrey should be raring to go when the Panthers play at the New York Giants at 1 p.m. Sunday.
WORST: I mean, 14 touches, for Carolina’s best player?! This partly had to do with the fact that the Panthers couldn’t make a first down in the first half and barely ran 50 plays, five of which included fumbles. But you never know how long you’re going to have McCaffrey in a season — best to get him the ball. Particularly in the passing game he seemed underused. Cleveland paid loads of attention to him in coverage, but McCaffrey still only had four catches for 24 yards.
McCaffrey’s fantasy football owners will also be perturbed that McCaffrey picking up a botched snap and dashing 28 yards with it didn’t count for rushing yardage, because technically he was advancing a fumble. That’s partly why his total yardage (57 yards) was so modest.
BEST: Safety Xavier Woods quietly had a fine game. His sprinting, would-be interception was negated by C.J. Henderson committing one of the most obvious pass interference penalties in the history of PI penalties. But Woods still led the Panthers with 10 tackles. He seems like a keeper. Rhule said Monday Woods was one of the team’s “bright spots” and “has a lot of range” in the secondary.
WORST: Carolina’s lack of turnovers caused by the defense. This has been a recurring problem for the defense under Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Because Woods’ interception was negated, Carolina had zero turnovers, playing against a backup quarterback. Defensive end Brian Burns, instead of causing the strip-sack he was going for in the final drive, made high contact with Brissett and was called for a critical 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty (a call McCaffrey would later label “horrid.”) Carolina only had one sack on the day.
BEST: The stadium actually sounded alive through a lot of the second half. That was a nice change. The Panthers have been too far behind too often at home, which has sometimes meant that the only fans left deep in the fourth quarter are the ones in opposing colors (and for this game, as usual, that was a substantial part of the crowd).
WORST: Losing. The Panthers now have lost eight games in a row, dating back to their seven-game losing streak to close last year. That is an awfully long time without a win, and in fact it’s the current longest active losing streak in the NFL — 10 months and counting.
This story was originally published September 12, 2022 at 5:54 AM with the headline "Scott Fowler’s bests and worsts from the Panthers’ season-opening loss to the Browns."
