In the season opener the Panthers were expected to win so when they only scored 20 points we had no idea it would be the first of 14 straight wins to open the season.
Start with this highlight video where you will see the teams go back in forth in a 3-3 tie for most of the first half until the WR Jerricho Cotchery finds pay dirt to give the Panthers a lead they would not relinquish. Close your eyes at the 1:02 mark as it is when Luke Kuechly takes the hit that would knock him out of the game and two more games after that.
At the 2:00 mark Josh Norman extends the lead with a pick 6 of Blake Bortles. On the Jaguars next series the Panthers D ices it with a Thomas Davis INT after DE Mario Addison hits Bortles arm as he is throwing the ball.
Here’s a couple GIFs from the subsequent GIF review post. First I have Kuechly getting a sack on a delayed blitz (before leaving the game injured):
Luke comes in like a missile after hiding behind the o-line for a two count. Bortles could feel him coming and bailed on the throw.
Here’s Mario Addison’s first sack.
Addison garnered only four more sacks the rest of the season, though he did miss two games for injury.
Though QB Cam Newton has had worse days he was pretty pedestrian on this day. The offense as a whole was. Remember the defense put 7 points on the board, the offense 13.
Newton 18 for 31 for 175 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
He ran the ball 14 times for a paltry 35 yards. I remember a very timid Newton early n the season, something we would see again early in the 2016 season.
RB Jonathan Stewart ran for 56 yards on 18 carries (3.1).
WR Jerricho Cotchery had 4 catches for 45 yards and a TD
Cotchery would be your offensive MVP. Defensive MVP is easily CB Josh Norman. In addition to the pick 6 Norman forced and recovered a fumble, knocked down (or INT) 2 passes and had 5 combined tackles. It was the beginning of a special season for Norman in so many ways.
There is no doubt this team can re-capture that defensive magic in 2017. We do still need a potential lock down CB in the mold of Norman, on the field Norman anyway. I think there are a couple that will be available in the second round.