Panthers lose to Redskins behind conservative playcalls, missed chances

It was not a good day to be a Carolina Panther.

This is the type of game that I really do not want to write about. However, I have to take the good with the bad, and Sunday could easily be put in the “bad” category. The Carolina Panthers fell behind the Washington Redskins early and never fully recovered, losing their second game of the year.

Washington got the scoring going early. Vernon Davis was on the receiving end of an Alex Smith pass for a touchdown in the first frame. The 22 yard-strike happened in a matter of six seconds and gave the Redskins the early lead. They were not done, either. Paul Richardson caught a two-yard pass from the arm of Smith at the 3:02 mark of the second quarter and doubled Washington’s lead following an extra point from Dustin Hopkins Right away, it was clear the Panthers would be facing an uphill battle.

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Hopkins started the scoring in the second frame with a 49-yard field goal. Scored at the 10:20 mark in the second quarter, that capped of a 10-play, 36-yard drive that took just a little over five minutes. Following yet another field goal, it was evident the Panthers needed to score and that is exactly what they did. Not only did they score, they did so in incredible fashion.

Devin Funchess caught a 23-yard touchdown to put the Panthers on the board. Not only did he catch it, he did it Randy Moss style, making an unbelievable grab to cut into the Redskins lead. It was perhaps the best play of the game from a Panther perspective and they entered halftime with a bit of momentum on their side.

The Panthers were able to strike first in the third quarter, but it was in a rather frustrating way. The good news is that they put together a 12-play, 42-yard drive. The bad news? It took 7:28 off the clock and only resulted in a field goal. The theme of the day was missed opportunities, and the Panthers missed a key chance to cut the deficit down even further. Graham Gano kicked it through the uprights from 32 yards out and that made it a 17-9 game in favor of Washington.

That would set the stage for a wild fourth frame. The Redskins would strike first, again via a 56-yard field goal that ended a 12-play, 42 yard drive and took a little over seven minutes. However, the Panthers would respond quickly as Torrey Smith was on the receiving end of a pass from three yards out to make it a 20-15 game in favor of the Redskins. Smith would covert a two-point try to make it a 20-17 game and suddenly the Panthers had life. Hopkins again booted a field goal from 29 yards out on the next drive to make it a 23-17 game with 3:15 left in the contest and although not insurmountable, the Panthers had some work to do.

However, the final drive was again littered with missed opportunities. The Panthers played way too conservatively on the final drive struggled to move the football. Quite honestly, they played like they needed just a field goal when they really needed a touchdown and that would come back to bite them as they fell to the Redskins.

Newton did a bit of everything today, going 27-40 for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also led the team in rushing carrying the ball nine times for 43 yards. In the meantime, McCaffrey carried the rock eight times for 20 yards. I was dead wrong in my predictions for him . He really struggled in this one. Devin Funchess led all Panther wideouts with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. If there was one positive, it is that the wideouts put together balanced production. Five pass catchers (including McCaffrey) had at least 40 yards on the afternoon.

The Panthers next game will be against the Eagles next Sunday, October 21 at 1:00 PM.

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