Cat Scratch Reader
The Carolina Panthers continue to defy all odds in every direction as they took down the Los Angeles Rams.
Any expectations of a blowout seemed to get reaffirmed by the way the game started. The Rams got a big return into Panthers territory to open the game, and a Panthers penalty added another 15 yards to that. A couple of passes to Puka Nacua and a short pass to a tight end quickly set the Rams up on the doorstep of the endzone. There, Matthew Stafford found his favorite red zone target, Davante Adams, on a quick slant for an easy touchdown.
To the Panthers’ credit, they responded. They leaned heavily on the ground game with Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard. They went to the air on a 3rd and long, and Bryce Young found Jalen Coker on a comeback to keep the drive alive. When faced with that same situation a few plays later, Young hit Chuba Hubbard on a swing pass. Unlike on Monday night, he actually got blocks from his teammates and raced up the sideline for the game tying touchdown.
A long pass to Davante Adams took the Rams deep into Panthers territory again. After a few short plays got the Rams inside the ten, Stafford took to the air on third down. Derrick Brown got his face in the passing lane, and the ball deflected over to Nick Scott, who became the first player to intercept Matthew Stafford in months. But as learned Monday night, the Panthers don’t do well with other teams’ turnovers. They went three and out and punted the ball right back.
That put the Rams right where they wanted them. After a couple of runs, Matthew Stafford threw a comeback to Puka Nacua, but it was jumped by Mike Jackson, who picked the pass off and raced up the right sideline for a touchdown. The Panthers took a 14-7 lead against the best team in the NFL.
The second quarter started with the Rams just outside the red zone after a long pass to Xavier Smith and big run from Blake Corum ended the first quarter. After a couple of short completions, Stafford extended a play to create enough time to find Davante Adams in the endzone again for his second touchdown of the game.
The Panthers leaned on Hubbard and he picked up a first down with a couple powerful runs. With the Rams focused on Hubbard, Dave Canales called a fake toss that left Bryce Young all by himself on the backside. He cruised for a 24 yard gain into Rams territory. The Panthers were faced with a 4th and 1 a few plays later, and Rico Dowdle was able to pick it up on a toss play. A holding penalty by Mitchell Evans wiped out a decent carry by Chuba Hubbard on the next play, and the Panthers couldn’t pick up the 20 yards required for a first down, so they settled...
