Panthers outlast Jets, get Saints next
Carolina overcomes sluggish start in win
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Offensive coordinator Mike Shula hustled to the elevator that would lower him to the field level, where he would rejoin the Carolina Panthers in the locker room.
Waiting for the doors to swing open, he looked up, closed his eyes and released a deep sigh.
It was that kind of day.
“As I always say, and as I always hear often, it was an ugly win,” quarterback Cam Newton said later. “But I’ve never heard of such a thing as a pretty loss, so either way it goes, we prefer to get a win.”
The Panthers started slow but outlasted the New York Jets on Sunday in a 3527 win in which they recorded a fumble return for a score and a punt-return touchdown in a span of 2:11 in the fourth quarter.
Last week, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera warned of the pitfalls of “trap games,” in which a team overlooks its current opponent due to a looming game against a more notable opponent. For Carolina, a pivotal matchup against the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints awaits next week. Despite that, the Panthers stressed they weren’t looking ahead.
“All the focus this week was on the Jets,” defensive end Julius Peppers said. “We’ll worry about the Saints in a couple of days.”
As sloppy as the win was — the Jets (4-7) outgained Carolina 391 to 299, and the Panthers converted just three of 14 third-down attempts — the Panthers still came out on top.
That was the common theme coursing through the locker room. Carolina (8-3) has claimed four in a row and improved its road record to 5-1. But as players answered questions, there also lurked a sense that if the team plays the Saints like it did Sunday, the outcome likely won’t be the same.
“Next snap and clear,” Panthers offen- sive guard Trai Turner told USA TODAY. “When mistakes happen, they’re already done. Just go on to the next play, clear out my mind, and worry about the next one. Because I can’t control what just happened. I can only control what’s in front of me. We do that with plays. But just being honest, brother, that’s the way you kind of have to look at the season, too.”
Carolina experienced spells of ineffective play.
In the middle of the second quarter, Christian McCaffrey scampered off with a 40-yard gain that set up a Panthers field goal and a 12-3 lead.
In the following 19 plays, however, the Panthers gained only 10 yards. Carolina did not generate a first down in that span.
Newton completed 11 of 28 passes for 168 yards. He also ran the ball nine times for 28 yards and scored a crucial 1-yard touchdown rush in the second quarter.
The offensive stagnancy helped the Jets score 14 unanswered points to take their first lead of the game.
“We were just off,” Rivera said. “We missed some opportunities, whether it be a route or a throw or a block or a run.
“We’ve got to understand that we can’t just expect to be a good football team.”
The Panthers snapped out of their funk just before the third quarter expired, scoring on a 2-yard rush by running back Jonathan Stewart, which capped a nineplay, 75-yard drive. It gave Carolina a one-point lead, which it would relinquish on a Chandler Catanzaro field goal.
Then, the two touchdown returns in the fourth quarter propelled the Panthers over the top.
Next week’s game in New Orleans could be the first step toward determining the NFC South champion. The clash is close to a must-win for Carolina, which lost its Week 3 matchup against the Saints. Making it even tougher is that it’s in one of the toughest environments in the NFL at the Superdome.
That means the Panthers will take points any way they can.
“You’re going to have games like this,” Newton said.
“As this season progresses, any type of points that are created is a good thing for us. We’re not going to apologize for that.”