Panthers vs. Cardinals game review: The underdogs finally have their win

After a month of close loses, the Panthers get a win in a nail-biting finish.

In a matchup that has already produced some of the most memorable moments in Carolina Panthers history, this week’s contest versus the Arizona Cardinals churned out another fun watch that ended with “Sweet Caroline” playing over Bank of America Stadium speakers.

I do not know what it is about the Cardinals, but the Panthers have had their number since Jake Delhomme’s playoff implosion in 2009. This match-up includes Jimmy Clausen’s only win, Cam Newton’s 422 yard debut, a playoff win after a 7-8-1 regular season record, a NFC Championship on the road to the Super Bowl and even Cam Newton’s return after being cut – among a list of other memorable games.

In Sunday’s matchup, a win for the Panthers changes nothing while a loss for the Cardinals meant being eliminated from the playoffs. The Cardinals were the easy favorite, coming in as an away team favored by 4.5 points and sporting one of the hottest defense and running game combinations over the second half of the NFL season.

For this weeks game review, let’s take a look at the key reasons why the Panthers were able to pull off the upset.

Building an early lead

According to the broadcast, for the first time since 2018 the Panthers scored a touchdown on each of their first 3 drives. Being up 20-3 before the halfway point of the second quarter gave the Panthers a buffer. When the inevitable mistakes of an inconsistent 3-11 team started creeping in, they were able to keep their options open. Had the Panthers not been able to take advantage of early opportunities and came away with a field goal or worse on any of those drives, they might have found themselves in comeback mode – a recipe that saw them be decimated versus the Dallas Cowboys just a week before.

Doing just enough on defense

To put it lightly, the Panthers defense has not been playing great this season. In fact, by many measures, they have been the worst defense in the NFL. The team’s overall defensive grade according to PFF is 51.7, ranking dead last in the NFL. After this game, the Panthers have given up 2628 yards on 514 attempts. The second worst run defending team in the NFL could give up 50 straight 10 yard runs and still have given up less rushing yards than the Panthers have this season.

It looked like it was going to be another one of those days after the first half, since the Panthers had already given up 130 yards. To almost everyone not employed by the team’s surprise, they only allowed 70 more yards for the rest of the game. After the offense failed to score after receiving the opening kickoff overtime, the game was sudden death. The Cardinals only needed a field goal to put the game away and leave the Panthers once again wondering how they let a victory slip through their fingers. Just in time, the defense came alive and pushed the Cardinals back 6 yards on 7 plays, thanks to a timely sack by DJ Wonnum and pass breakups on consecutive plays by Mike Jackson. With the Cardinals entire season on the line, the Panthers had held firm and gave the offense one last chance to ice the game. An opportunity not wasted.

Balanced offense

The Panthers called 35 pass plays and 33 runs for a total of 68 total offensive plays. The rushing attack produced a bulk of the offensive production, accounting for 243 of 392 yards. Undoubtedly, Chuba Hubbard and Bryce Young carried the team on their backs for 4.5 quarters of football. Hubbard’s 152 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns stand out, but so did Young’s 68 yards and a score for himself. According to Panthers.com, the duo became the first quarterback-running back to combine for at least 220 rushing yards and three rushing scores in the same game in franchise history.

Rushing game aside, the story of the game – and maybe the season – was Young. On the surface, Young’s 158 passing yards on 26 attempts seems uninspiring. The degree of difficulty on some of his throw’s, however, show you just how impressive Young’s performance actually was. According to PFF, Young’s 91.2 passing grade was the top mark in the entire league this week, including 4 big time throws and 0 turnover worthy plays. To perform at this level, right after having his worst performance of the season against the Dallas Cowboys exactly one week before, speaks volumes of his mental toughness and confidence in himself – an attribute that was questioned heavily after his rookie season.

That’s all I have for you this week Panthers fans. See you next week after the Panthers get a rematch versus the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Until then, keep pounding.