Plays to Love, Plays to Hate (aka "P2L, P2H") looks at the most significant plays in swinging momentum and impacting the eventual outcome of the game. There is always plenty to hate about NFL officiating, so we will only focus on the plays on the field, not the refs.
Three Plays to Love
2nd Quarter 10:34 – Panthers 3, Eagles 3. Panthers ball 1st-and-10 at PHI 16
The Situation: After Christian McCaffrey’s nice 25-yard punt return, the Panthers began this drive at the Philadelphia 43, looking to break a 3-3 tie.
The Play: Cam Newton ran a read-option at the 16 yard line. He faked the handoff to McCaffrey, then burst into the second level of the defense. Cam put a sick juke move on Rasul Douglas at the 10 yard line, spinning the Eagles DB in a full 360, as Newton walked into the end zone for a 10-3 Panthers lead.
4th Quarter 3:41 – Panthers 23, Eagles 28. Panthers ball 3rd-and-17 at CAR 40
The Situation: With less than four minutes remaining and needing a touchdown, the Panthers were in four-down territory. After a Cam Newton sack, Carolina suddenly faced 3rd-and-17 on the wrong side of the 50. Failure to convert a first down on this drive could end the game.
The Play: Cam started in shotgun with McCaffrey to his left. CMC leaked into the left flat where Cam dumped the ball off to him. McCaffrey was hit in the open field almost immediately by Malcolm Jenkins a good 10 yards short of the first down, but the Panthers elusive rookie slipped the tackle and sprinted down the sideline to ultimately gain 15 yards, setting up a manageable 4th-and-2. Then, on fourth down, it was another pass to McCaffrey which picked up the first to sustain the potential go-ahead drive. Unfortunately for the Panthers, these two Plays to Love were all for naught as Cam threw a terrible interception three plays later (see below).
4th Quarter 3:01 – Panthers 23, Eagles 28. Eagles ball 2nd-and-3 at PHI 23
The Situation: The Eagles were looking to run out the clock, and the Panthers had no timeouts left. On first down, LaGarrette Blount gained seven yards to set up a key 2nd-and-3. If the Eagles convert a first down, it’s game over.
The Play: Shaq Thompson lined up on the left edge and exploded off the line, blowing by Zach Ertz. Shaq arrived like a missile just as Blount took a handoff deep in the backfield. Shaq dropped the Eagles RB for a four yard loss, forcing a 3rd-and-7 which the Eagles failed to convert, and were then forced to punt. Thompson’s clutch play gave the Panthers offense one last shot at winning the game, but Cam & Co. couldn’t come through.
Three Plays to Hate
2nd Quarter 6:34 – Panthers 10, Eagles 3. Panthers ball 3rd-and-5 at CAR 14
The Situation: Carolina’s offense was in a precarious spot, facing third down from their own 14. Failure to convert here would force a punt and give Philadelphia good field position.
The Play: Trai Turner got pushed straight backward by Fletcher Cox on a bull rush. Turner hardly slowed Cox down as the Eagles defensive lineman went right through the Panthers normally stellar guard. Cox got a hand on Cam Newton’s throwing arm, causing his pass to flutter high in the air. The Eagles intercepted the pass at the Carolina 12 yard line and ultimately converted with a touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.
3rd Quarter 14:13 – Panthers 10, Eagles 10. Panthers ball 3rd-and-12 at CAR 18
The Situation: Carolina received the ball to start the second half with the score tied 10-10. The Panthers offense faced a three-and-out on 3rd-and-12.
The Play: Jonathan Stewart slipped into the left flat on a designed screen pass. Cam Newton threw a perfect pass to J-Stew, hitting him right in the hands. But Stewart let the ball slip through his fingers and right into the waiting arms of Patrick Robinson for a devastating interception at the Carolina 17. Just an uncharacteristic boneheaded play by J-Stew. Two plays later, the Eagles scored a touchdown and took a 17-10 lead.
4th Quarter 3:16 – Panthers 23, Eagles 28. Panthers ball 3rd-and-10 at PHI 41
The Situation: With time running out and the game on the line, the Panthers had engineered a nine-play drive down to the Philadelphia 41. Now facing 3rd-and-10, Carolina needed a big play.
The Play: Kelvin Benjamin lined up slot right. KB started on a deep seam route then appeared to have the option to either continue up the seam, or break in on a slant. Benjamin chose slant. Cam threw the seam route. The result was an awful pass nowhere near a Panthers receiver, and the pass was easily intercepted by Jalen Mills. Cam and KB have played together for too long to have this type of miscommunication with the game on the line. I don’t know who made the right read and who made the wrong read, so I’m pinning this on both of them.
Closing It Out and Summing It Up
The Panthers will be kicking themselves over this loss for a long time. The defense played well but could not overcome the two interceptions which gave the Eagles starting field position at the Carolina 12 and 17, respectively, and both ended up in Philadelphia touchdowns.
Luke Kuechly was hit in the head in the second quarter and is now in the concussion protocol. This is just devastating as concussions are now becoming a pattern for Carolina’s all-world linebacker.
Coaching was poor throughout this game. I have no idea why Ron Rivera opted for a botched Hail Mary over a 56-yard field goal attempt to end the first half. Rivera then blew two crucial timeouts with the first being an unsuccessful challenge, then calling a baffling timeout when the Panthers had the ball on 4th-and-2 with 3:33 remaining.
Carolina’s offensive line was awful for the second straight week in opening holes for the running game. Jonathan Stewart, Christian McCaffrey, and Fozzy Whittaker “ran” for a COMBINED ONE YARD ON 13 CARRIES! Awful, awful, awful performance by the O-line in the run game.
The Panthers offense had two late opportunities to win this game. The first opportunity ended with a terrible interception. The second drive ended with a wildly inaccurate fourth down incompletion from Cam Newton to an open Christian McCaffrey. What a letdown.
Early in the second quarter, Eagles’ returner Kenjon Barner muffed a punt at the Philadelphia 15 and Daryl Worley was this close to making the recovery. If the ball bounces just a little differently and Worley recovers, this game could have played out very differently. The NFL is a game of inches sometimes.
The Panthers had their chances to win this one against a solid Eagles team, but they blew it.
There is such a big difference between 5-1 and 4-2. Let’s hope this loss doesn’t end up costing Carolina a playoff spot, especially as the injuries to stalwarts like Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, Ryan Kalil, and Kurt Coleman start to pile up, making the road ahead that much harder.
“P2L, P2H” Season Leaders
Plays to Love
6 PTL - Devin Funchess
3 PTL – Cam Newton, Mike Shula
2 PTL –Mario Addison
1 PTL – Charles Johnson, Christian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel, Daryl Worley, Ed Dickson, Fozzy Whittaker, Graham Gano, Kawann Short, Luke Kuechly, Russell Shepard, Shaq Thompson, Thomas Davis, Tyler Larsen, Wes Horton
Plays to Hate
4 PTH – Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly
2 PTH - Captain Munnerlyn, Jonathan Stewart, Shaq Thompson
1 PTH - Christian McCaffrey, Daryl Williams, Daryl Worley, Graham Gano, Matt Kalil, Mike Adams, Ron Rivera, Trai Turner, Tyler Larsen
Poll
Which Play to Hate had the biggest impact on the Panthers loss?
This poll is closed
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21%
2nd Quarter - Trai Turner gets abused by Fletcher Cox, resulting in an INT, then an Eagles TD
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52%
3rd Quarter - J-Stew’s bobble results in an INT, then an Eagles TD.
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25%
4th Quarter - Cam and KB can’t get on the page, resulting in a late INT.