[ad_1]
CHARLOTTE, NC – Baker Mayfield’s long-awaited Panthers debut got off to a rough start, completing just five of his first eleven attempts for 14 yards and an interception. Carolina’s offense went three-and-out on three of its first five possessions and couldn’t get anything going down the field. Cleveland’s strong defensive front gave Carolina all kinds of problems, as expected. Jadeveon Clowney intercepted two passes at the line of scrimmage and the Browns as a team had four pass deflections in the first half.
The Browns had a chance to score on their opening possession when Jacoby Brissett set up Amari Cooper wide open on the sideline. He waited a hair too long which allowed Xavier Woods to close out and force the stoppage. Jaycee Horn slipped right after his release, and if Brissett had noticed right away, the Browns would have jumped out to a 7-0 lead right out of the gate.
Baker Mayfield threw several touchdowns that resulted in negative plays, but his biggest mistake of the first half was a poorly thrown ball to Shi Smith that resulted in an interception by Grant Delpit. Brissett made a deep pass to Cooper on 3rd and 3 that was caught by Xavier Woods. Unfortunately, CJ Henderson tried to make up for the road loss and was flagged for pass interference on defense, putting the ball on the one yard line. Kareem Hunt hit him on the next play.
Third downs continued to be a problem for the Panthers’ defense as they gave up a 15-yard gain to Donovan Peoples-Jones and then a 25-yard rush by Nick Chubb on 3rd-and-down on the next possession Cleveland. Once again, Kareem Hunt capped the drive with a touchdown. This time from 24 yards out, untouched.
Carolina’s offense finally woke up late in the half when Mayfield connected with DJ Moore for a 15 gain on 3rd and 3, which was followed by a 50 yard bomb to TE Ian Thomas. Christian McCaffrey went airborne and into the end zone a few plays later to get the Panthers on the board.
New Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro ran the kickoff out of bounds, allowing the Browns to start their final drive of the half at the 40. Cade York kicked a 26-yard field goal to make it 17-7 at the break.
After a combined 24 points in the second quarter, both defenses found a rhythm after halftime adjustments. A 34-yard field goal by Cade York was the only score of the frame.
The Panthers offense put together its best drive of the day late in the third and into the fourth. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo made sure to get Christian McCaffrey involved and get the ball out of Mayfield’s hands quickly after Ikem Ekwonu allowed Myles Garrett to send back-to-back sacks on the previous drive.
Scroll to Continue
Mayfield threw another punt, but McCaffrey scooped it up and passed it to Cleveland for a gain of 32. Carolina methodically worked its way down the field, setting up a 7-yard touchdown run by Mayfield, pulling Panthers within one score.
Cleveland scored another goal from York, pushing the lead to two scores, 23-14. One play later, Mayfield answered as he hit Robbie Anderson on a deep post for a 75-yard touchdown.
With the clock nearing two minutes, the Panthers desperately needed to get a stop and turn the ball over on offense. Frankie Luvu made a fantastic play in the open field with Nick Chubb, who had carved up the Panthers all day (141 yards on 22 carries). Brissett’s third down pass was incomplete to Donovan Peoples-Jones, forcing a fumble.
Mayfield led the Panthers right down the field which started with a 26 yard completion to DJ Moore. Christian McCaffrey had a nice 21-yard catch and run and 15 extra yards were added for a touchdown, moving the ball inside the red zone. The Panthers played conservatively and played for the goal. Eddy Pineiro gave Carolina its first lead of the day, 24-23 with 1:17 left.
On the first play of Cleveland’s drive, Brian Burns was flagged for roughing the passer in what appeared to be the wrong call. The right-hander’s shoulder pad landed on Brissett’s face mask, causing the flag to be thrown. Brissett drove the offense to the Carolina 40-yard line, and freshman quarterback Cade York booted a 58-yard field goal for the win.
Yyou can stay tuned for future coverage by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter:
Facebook – @PanthersOnSI
Tweet – @AllPanthers_ and Schuyler Callihan in @Callihan_.
[ad_2]
Source link