The Panthers went back to their losing ways, but at least now they’re competitive in the losses.
The Carolina Panthers played a competitive game for the second week in a row. This week’s opponent was more competent than the Raiders, so they couldn’t quite pull out the win. They lost to the Bengals 34-24.
First Quarter
The Panthers got the ball first and again looked like a competent offense. Andy Dalton hit Diontae Johnson deep down the left sideline for the Panthers first third down conversion. The drive made it all the way to the doorstep of the endzone, and the Panthers tried to bludgeon their way through with Chuba Hubbard, but the Bengals stood tough and forced a turnover on downs on the one yard line. They couldn’t do anything with the ensuing drive and punted it back to the Panthers after a Aldrick Robinson batted pass ended the drive.
The second Panthers possession was cut short by an interception. Trey Hendrickson looped around the back of Andy Dalton and got his hand on the ball as the quarterback tried to drive the ball down the field. It fluttered in the air and fell into the waiting arms of former Panther Vonn Bell. The Bengals took possession inside the red zone. The defense put up a fight but ultimately broke on a 3rd down carry by Chase Brown for a touchdown.
Second Quarter
The Panthers manufactured some looks for Xavier Legette and Jonathan Mingo as they rolled into Bengals territory. They went for it on another 40 yard line, this time on the Bengals 40, and Dalton found Johnson on a quick out to pick it up. A 17 yard run by Chuba off the left side set the Panthers up inside the five, and this time Hubbard was able to plow his way into the endzone and tie the game up at 7.
The Panthers defense forced the Bengals into a third down just inside midfield. They struggled to get pressure on Joe Burrow and he found Ja’Marr Chase on a deep cross. A clinic on how to not tackle followed. Xavier Woods went no arms and bounced off Chase then Charles Harris badly whiffed on his wrap up tackle attempt. Chase broke free and ran off for a 63 yard touchdown.
It looked like Dalton had thrown his second pick when Cam Taylor-Britt made a leaping grab on a deep ball intended for Legette. However, the Bengals DB was called for holding Legette on the double move, and the Panthers retained possession. Miles Sanders had some uncharacteristically powerful runs to drag the Panthers into Bengals territory. Dalton found Legette over the middle for another nice gain, which set up a long Miles Sanders run where he wiggled Vonn Bell out of his cleats. That run put the Panthers inside the 10 yard line. On the next play, Dalton found Legette dashing across the goal line for his first career touchdown.
The Bengals had enough time to manufacture one more drive. Joe Burrow picked up a few modest gains before he found Andre Iosivas deep down the middle of the field. Mike Jackson was called for a pass interference inside the Bengals five on another deep pass attempt, then Jaycee Horn was called for a pass interference for being pushed and knocked over by Tee Higgins in the endzone. It took three tries, but the Bengals finally scored when Zack Moss dove across the goal line with one second left in the half.
Third Quarter
The Bengals got the ball to start the second half and kept up the momentum they gained at the end of the first. They made a concerted effort to give the ball to Chase Brown, who gashed the Panthers with every tough. Almost every Bengals play netted them another first down, and Brown eventually capped the drive with a two yard run.
The Panthers couldn’t respond. They went 3 and out after Andy Dalton missed Miles Sanders in the flat on 3rd and short. Fortunately the defense was able to step up on the ensuing Bengals possession. They forced a 3 and out in response thanks to good plays on second and third down by Jaycee Horn.
The ensuing Panthers drive was very disjointed and featured a brief departure from Diontae Johnson. Out of desperation, the Panthers pulled out the fake punt, but Feleipe Franks dropped the Johnny Hekker pass (with some decent coverage by the defender). In response, the Bengals had their own disaster of a drive. Mike Geisicki caught a second down pass, was spun backwards, then lost nine yards. It looked like the Bengals picked up the first down on a third down draw, but a holding penalty backed them up even further. They were forced to settle for a 56 yard Evan McPherson field goal.
Chuba Hubbard took a handoff on the next play from scrimmage and took it up the left sideline for 38 yards. A few plays later, Dionte Johnson broke free from Cam Taylor-Britt again and Dalton hit him with a laser for the touchdown.
It looked the defense was finally going to get to Joe Burrow to get off the field on third down, but Joe Burrow pulled off a Houdini act to get into space and find Zack Moss wide open in the flat to pick up the first down and end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter
That drive continued through the first several minutes of the fourth quarter and took out both Panthers starting linebackers Shaq Thompson (who was carted to the locker room) and Josey Jewell. It looked like Burrow was going to pull off another miracle escape after he slipped away from Jadeveon Clowney, but his escape proved to be a blessing in disguise for the Panthers. His throw hit Xavier Woods between the numbers with no Bengals receiver in the area. Woods bobbed and weaved out to the Panthers 40 yard line.
The Panthers matriculated into Bengals territory with a few modest gains. The war of defensive attrition continued as Bengals star defensive end Trey Hendrickson was knocked into one of his teammates and was down on the field for an extended amount of time. The drive stalled out when Xavier Legette dropped his second ball on a would be first down. They were forced to settle for a field goal, which Eddy Pineiro knocked through after some officiating confusion.
The defense stepped up again without any linebackers. They forced a three and out with Jaycee Horn making the drive ending stop on a third down Zack Moss run. Another drop started the Panthers next drive, this time from Jonathan Mingo. It was the start of a three and out, and the ball was punted back to the Bengals.
The Bengals took possession with just over four minutes to play facing a depleted Panthers defense. They leaned on that defense and kept calling run plays that the Panthers were powerless to stop. They did get the Bengals into a 3rd and 4, but Nick Thurman jumped offsides to extend the drive. It would have effectively killed the game, but the Bengals were called for a hold on second down that bailed the Panthers out. The Bengals ran the clock down to 1:16 and set up for a game clinching 46 yard field goal. He knocked it right down the middle.
The Panthers didn’t get anything going with their last minute drive and they eventually ran out of time.
Overview
This game looked exactly like what the Panthers were supposed to look like this season. The offense was mostly competent. Andy Dalton didn’t put up the gaudy numbers he did last week, but the offense moved the ball and put points on the board. Xaiver Legette had a couple of poorly timed drops, but he had his best game as a pro and looked explosive with the ball in his hands. Diontae Johnson looked like the number one receiver they brought him in to be, and Chuba Hubbard had another 100 yard game.
On the other side, the defense struggled, which is to be expected most weeks, especially against an offense as powerful as the Bengals. That already thin defense took a couple of hits with the departures of Thompson and Jewell. We’ll see what their status is going forward, but Shaq in particular didn’t look good.
The Panthers schedule lightens up in the coming weeks. They’ll hit the road to take on Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, and the Chicago Bears next week.