Late Thoughts (Week 12): Carolina Panthers on Record Pace
You get the sense that there are those out there who still aren’t buying the Carolina Panthers.
It’s hard to explain why and it’s not a matter of disrespect. Perhaps Ron Rivera’s team plays a different style of football, a form some may not be familiar with it in this day and age.
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Get used to it.
The Panthers ran their record to 11-0 on Thanksgiving Day with a convincing 33-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Some believed that with Rivera’s team hitting the road on a short week meant Carolina was ripe for the taking.
Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Carolina Panthers free safety Kurt Coleman (20) returns an interception for touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter of an NFL game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
But it wasn’t meant to be. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo served up three interceptions and had two of them returned for scores courtesy of safety Kurt Coleman (36 yards) and linebacker Luke Kuechly (32 yards), the latter finishing the game with seven tackles, two passes defensed and a pair of picks –
with those thefts coming on consecutive throws from the Dallas quarterback.
Unfortunately for Romo, he wasn’t around long enough to throw another interception as he was knocked from the game in the third quarter by linebacker Thomas Davis. Via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, the Cowboys quarterback reinjured his left clavicle.
Nov 26, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter of a NFL game on Thanksgiving at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
As usual, the Carolina ground attack carried the offense as running backs Jonathan Stewart (68) and Mike Tolbert (16) as well as quarterback Cam Newton (45) accounted for all of the Panthers 129 rushing yards in the contest.
Yes, you can chalk this one up to the defense as Carolina’s offense scored only one touchdown (courtesy of a four-yard run by Newton late in the third quarter) and gained a mere 294 total yards on 65 plays by game’s end. But that’s nothing new for a less-than-flashy team that has still managed to score at least 20 points in each of their 11 games in 2015.
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There are a few things that the Panthers have done this season for the first time that have already helped make this a significant year in the team’s 21-year history. The franchise’s previous best start was 5-0 in 2003, a season that resulted in an appearance in Super Bowl XXVIII and a narrow loss to the New England Patriots, 32-29.
In fact, Carolina’s best finish in any season has been 12-4, accomplished most recently in 2013. The Panthers have never been the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. And obviously, they are one of the 13 franchises in the league not to capture a Lombardi Trophy.
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Are the Panthers indeed destined to run the table? They close the season with a pair of games against the Atlanta Falcons and also have road tilts against the Saints and Giants before closing out 2015 with a home matchup with the improving Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Yes, going undefeated would be a great accomplishment for any franchise. But you get the sense that Carolina has other things on its mind.