Kelvin Benjamin Hulks Up for 44-Yard Touchdown (Video)

Kelvin Benjamin let Sean Smith know he’s a grown man as he beasted the cornerback for a 44-yard Carolina Panthers touchdown.

After scoring just seven points in the first half, the Carolina Panthers turned their game and season around with 25 unanswered second-half points against the Oakland Raiders. It all started with a spark, and there was no better spark than excellent deep threat Ted Ginn Jr., who burned the entire Oakland Raiders defense for a critical 88-yard touchdown reception. From then on, the Carolina Panthers were rolling.

One of the most disappointing teams in the 2016 season, the Panthers looked nothing like the 15-1 juggernaut that made it to the Super Bowl in the previous season. Instead, they were a mess on defense and looked almost as directionless on offense. Newton had been playing well, but he wasn’t at operating at an MVP level for this offense.

The Panthers turned a new leaf in the second half of their Week 12 game against the Raiders and Kelvin Benjamin, who had fallen into a bit of a slump, provided one of the team’s huge plays.

The Newton-Benjamin connection needed to show some life and it did on this play. Newton continued to show off his stunning arm talent and Benjamin did the rest. The former Florida State star had Sean Smith beat deep and the veteran cornerback could do nothing at the catch point to stop one of the NFL’s baddest receivers from out-muscling him and coming down with the touchdown.

Next: Check Out Our Latest Mock Draft

This score gave Carolina a 32-24 lead in the fourth quarter, which MVP candidate Derek Carr would quickly match with a touchdown of his own to Clive Walford. That touchdown reception from Benjamin was his fifth of the season, and he’ll look to match his rookie total of nine.