What a way to cap off this magical 2015 season.
Early on, it appeared the same apathetic flat team from last week walked onto the field as the offense punted and fumbled on their first two drives. The pass rush struggled, the offensive line gave up sacks, stupid mistakes created a turnover, it looked like this one was going to be close. But after the Bucs kicked their first points onto the board, it seemed a light came on for this Panthers squad. Passes from Cam Newton to Philly Brown and Devin Funchess quickly put the Panthers in scoring range, and a few plays later Cam hurdled a defender on a naked bootleg for his first touchdown of the game. The Panthers forced a three and out on the Bucs ensuing drive, and took the ball down the field for a field goal after a Philly Brown catch was ruled an incompletion upon further review.
That didn't stop the Panthers, as Thomas Davis picked off a Jameis Winston pass on the next drive and the 2015 Panthers we've become accustomed to finally appeared to be back. A touchdown rush by Cameron Artis-Payne, a beautiful touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery, and a second Cam Newton rushing touchdown coming off a forced fumble on special teams put the game pretty close to out of reach. The Bucs responded with a rushing touchdown by Jameis Winston, but a few drives later Cam threw a touchdown to Devin Funchess as he powered his way into the endzone, putting a nail in the coffin and allowing the Panthers to end their season on a high note, at a franchise record 15-1 and leaving no doubt about their number one playoff seeding.
The Good
- Cam Newton tied Steve Young for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback since the NFL merger, AND Cam broke Peyton Manning's record for most combined yards by a QB in his first five years. #CAMVP
- I originally thought that Philly Brown would be in line for a big game with Ted Ginn sidelined, but it turned out to be rookie Devin Funchess, as he rattled off 7 catches for 120 yards and a TD despite an early fumble. Funchess looked very good on quick timing routes like slants, and was a great target for Cam when Olsen was covered.
- The Panthers collectively rushed for 113 yards and three TDs today despite missing their top two halfbacks. The success rushing the ball is a big reason the Panthers won. While they had to pass more than they'd like to, the Panthers didn't quit on the run game.
- Tre Boston looked pretty good filling in for Kurt Coleman. He didn't light up the stat sheet, but he did a good job stepping into the box and didn't surrender any big plays. I'm hoping to see a Coleman/Boston combo next season. Cortland Finnegan and Robert McClain also looked good today, paying dividends as late season acquisitions.
- Shaq Thompson seems to have at least one or two plays a week where he absolutely BURIES somebody on offense and has one of those "ooooh" hits. Really excited to see him continue to develop.
The Bad
Not much to harp on when the Panthers win this way, but it's pretty obvious to me that the team should be playing Kony Ealy and Mario Addison more often. Jared Allen had a really good game in run support, but the same narrative is getting beaten like a dead horse; they aren't getting enough pass rush with the starting ends. Allen and Johnson are good starters, but the Panthers need to rotate more. In addition, the receivers REALLY struggled with fumbles today. Hopefully Charles Tillman is healthy, but in the meantime Ricky Proehl should run some ball security drills with the Peanut Punch.
Well guys, what a season. What an absolute ride we've all gotten to enjoy, and here's part two. But instead of backing into the playoffs on a technicality, the Panthers get in as the best team in the NFL, and the playoffs run through Charlotte. After Seattle's absolute trouncing of the Cardinals (36-6), it's clear that the NFC Super Bowl spot is there for the taking.
But it's not going to be easy. As fans, you have the ability to effect the outcome. Wear your gear, get to the games, scream your hearts out. Make Charlotte rumble. How long have we waited for this? To be at the stairway to glory, to history? I don't know about you, but I've been waiting for this for a long time. We've been through the two win years, we've seen the injuries, we've listened as "experts" dismiss our team's success. Sure, the NFC is full of dangers teams. But this team has proved everybody, even the most optimistic of us, wrong all year. Right now the Panthers have a chance to make history, do you want to be a part of that?