Little-big plays are the plays that may not stand out in the box score, but go a long way to winning – or losing –a game. Little-big plays extend drives that lead to scores, turn field goals into touchdowns, or flip field position.
On the other hand, negative little-big plays can abruptly end drives and take points off the board.
Here are the little-big plays that helped the Carolina Panthers beat the Houston Texans in Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season. Positive plays from Panther players are marked with a plus-sign and negative plays with a minus-sign, with the players' season totals for each type of play listed by his name.
1st Quarter
8:53 – Panthers 0, Texans 0. HOU ball 3rd-and-9 on CAR 43. The Texans had already converted two third downs on this drive and were nearing field goal range. On 3rd-and-9 Ryan Mallett lined up in shotgun with running back Jonathan Grimes to his left. On the snap, Shaq Thompson (-1) immediately jumped to his right to double team DeAndre Hopkins, leaving the middle of the field wide open for Grimes to slip out of the backfield for an easy 14-yard catch-and-run. The drive was extended and ended with a Texans field goal.
5:36 – Panthers 0, Texans 3. HOU ball 2nd-and-8 on HOU 17. The Panthers D-line blew up a running play deep in the backfield that would have resulted in a six-yard loss and pinned Houston with 3rd-and-14 from their own 11. But Charles Johnson (-1) inexplicably grabbed Chandler Worthy’s facemask for a 15-yard penalty, resulting in a 1st-and-10 from the Houston 31. Then three plays later, Thomas Davis (-1) was flagged for a 15-yard unnecessary roughness for a late hit on Jonathan Grimes after he was stopped short of the first down. While Houston did not score on this possession, the two penalties flipped field position and were uncharacteristically boneheaded plays from two smart vets.
2nd Quarter
15:00 – Panthers 0, Texans 3. CAR ball 3rd-and-13 on HOU 41. Ted Ginn (-2) ran a deep in route and got separation from his defender. Cam Newton hit Ginn perfectly in stride on the 25-yard line for a would-be first down, but the ball bounced right off Ginn’s chest. A reception here would have put the Panthers in scoring position, but Ginn’s drop forced a punt and took points off the board for Carolina.
13:39 – Panthers 7, Texans 3. HOU ball 3rd-and-5 on the HOU 25. Ryan Mallett threw an out route to DeAndre Hopkins who made a diving catch for a first down. Ron Rivera (+1) wisely challenged the play, which was reversed, and forced a Houston punt instead of extending the drive.
7:41 – Panthers 7, Texans 3. CAR ball 1st-and-10 on HOU 25. Cam Newton (+3) was in shotgun and approached the line of scrimmage to audible. Center Ryan Kalil (-1) unexpectedly snapped the ball as Newton approached the line, but Cam had the reflexes to somehow catch the errant snap and even complete a pass. While the play was flagged for illegal motion, it could have just as easily resulted in a fumble and lost possession if Cam had not caught the snap. The drive ended with a field goal and a 10-3 Panthers lead.
2:55 – Panthers 10, Texans 3. CAR ball 2nd-and-8 on HOU 21. With Carolina in scoring position, Cam Newton dropped back to pass. Trai Turner (-1) got beat by Jared Crick who hit Newton’s arm on the pass, causing the ball to wobble toward receiver Kevin Norwood (-1). The ball bounced off Norwood’s hands on a pass he still could have caught (or at least not tipped up) and was picked off by Rahim Moore at the goal line, once again taking points off the board for Carolina.
1:07 – Panthers 10, Texans 3. HOU ball 2nd-and-10 from HOU 30. Ryan Mallet faced pressure and made a throw off his back foot. Bene Benwikere (-1) made a nice read on the ball got both hands on the pass and should have made the interception in Houston territory, but he dropped it. The Panthers would have had a great opportunity for a late score to close out the half if Benwikere could have held on to the ball.
3rd Quarter
12:29 – Panthers 10, Texans 3. HOU ball 3rd-and-2 on CAR 48. Running back Chris Polk ran a shallow route into the right flat where he made a one-handed catch and was immediately drilled by both Charles Tillman and Roman Harper. Polk held on to the catch and got the first down by a couple of inches, extending a drive that resulted in a Houston touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.
1:10 – Panthers 10, Texans 10. CAR ball 1st-and-Goal on HOU 2. Cam. Newton (+4). Front. Flip. TD! Yes, this was a big-big play (not a little-big play), but it just has to get mentioned here and everywhere.
4th Quarter
9:02 – Panthers 17, Texans 10. CAR ball 1st-and-10 on HOU 36. Following an A.J. Klein interception, Cam Newton hit Philly Brown for a 36-yard touchdown. Newton had ample time to make the pass thanks in large part to left guard Andrew Norwell (+2) who pulled to his right across the line and perfectly sealed defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Norwell’s mobility and strength were on full display with his key block.
8:38 – Panthers 24, Texans 10. HOU ball 2nd-and-1 on HOU 29. Nate Washington was being defended by Charles Tillman (+1, -1) and completely fooled Tillman on a double move. Washington was several yards ahead of Tillman when he made the catch on a deep sideline route, but Washington lost his balance and fell down after a 48-yard gain on what should have been a touchdown. Five plays after Washington’s big gain, Houston scored a touchdown on a Ryan Mallett fourth down scramble narrowing Houston’s deficit to 24-17.
2:05 – Panthers 24, Texans 17. HOU ball 3rd-and6 on HOU 47. Kony Ealy (-1) clearly hit Ryan Mallet late on an incomplete pass that would have resulted in a fourth down. Ealy made a terrible decision that resulted in a 15-yard penalty and extended Houston’s potentially game-tying late drive. Then, with 32 seconds left, Ealy (-2) jumped offside on 3rd-and-4 from the Carolina 19, giving Houston another first down.
:22 – Panthers 24, Texans 17. HOU ball 2nd-and-10 on CAR 14. With Ryan Mallet trying to find a game-tying touchdown pass, Kawann Short rushed wide and grabbed Mallet from behind for a near sack, forcing Mallet to flip the ball away and get flagged for a 12-yard intentional grounding penalty. The extra yardage helped Carolina’s defense keep Houston out of the end zone, securing a hard-fought 24-17 win.