Rapid Recap: 33 – 20 Carolina Scalps Redskins
Carolina ran the ball effectively (finally) as the Newton-led Panthers sent the Redskins back to their reservation with a loss
Cam Newton held his composure and Carolina ran the ball well on the path to victory today. It was a hard fought game, but the Panthers managed to stay collected and held the ball for 10 minutes longer than the Redskins. Now that we have the moral victory nonsense out of our minds, the Panthers showed they can win games by grinding it out.
For the full recap of the game check out Taylor Barbour’s story.
What It Means
The Panthers may not be a Super Contender, but they are one heck of a team. It was a slightly boring game in the first half, then it picked up in the 3rd quarter. If Carolina can play like they did today for the rest of the season, there are some upsets on the way.
What I Liked
Carolina ran for 175 yards as they held Washington to 95 yards rushing. In what seems like a backwards day, Carolina effectively incorporated the run into the offense. Carolina ran the ball 37 times, compared to 23 from last game against ATL. If Carolina continues to even out the run and pass as they did today, they are going to be a .500 team or better.
Who is This Guy?
Antwan Applewhite had a sack today, and to be honest I don’t know anything about the guy. So I went to Wikipedia and looked him up. He’s a journeyman, having played with San Diego and San Fran, and he hasn’t done much. It looks as though he was a practice squad guy from ’07-’10 with SD, and had a short stint in the off-season with San Fran. But what I’m trying to say is that I like this guy. He had a sack today, and when he was on the field he was going at 150% speed. I like this guy and hope we see more of him.
What’s Next
The Panthers will take on the Minnesota Vikings in Bank of America Stadium next week. Minnesota is lacking in terms of their entire team. So far in the Green Bay, which I’m currently watching, Ponder is looking solid and could be a great thing for the Vikings. The Panthers will have to stop Adrian Peterson if they even want to challenge this team.