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| For 54 minutes Sunday, Cam Newton and the Panthers were pointed in the right direction. (US Presswire) |
The Panthers blew an 11-point lead in the final six minutes to lose to Tampa Bay in overtime. Grades are up from last week’s debacle against the Broncos, but not as high as they were midway through the fourth quarter.
Offense: B-
Carolina rushed for 85 yards in the first half against the top-ranked Buccaneers run defense that was only allowing 80 yards a game, but the Panthers only added 12 yards to their total after halftime. Cam Newton passed for 252 yards and didn’t turn the ball over. That’s usually enough to win. Previous game's grade: D
Defense: C+
For the first 54 minutes of the game, the Panthers held Tampa to 213 yards of offense. The Bucs added 190 in the final six minutes and overtime. Carolina got two interceptions and recovered a crucial fumble at the goal line, but the Panthers had no answers for Doug Martin and Vincent Jackson during crunch time. Previous game's grade: C
Special teams: D
The Panthers fired special teams coach Brian Murphy on Monday and activated rookie kick returner Joe Adams for the first time since Sept. 20. It didn’t show much immediate benefit. Captain Munnerlyn fumbled a punt return to set up Tampa’s first touchdown, and Carolina got called for holding on the ensuing kickoff. There was also a missed field goal and an ill-advised fake punt. Previous game's grade: F
Coaching: D
Coach Ron Rivera blamed the failed fake punt on Haruki Nakamura, who took the snap. “Haruki should have called it off,” Rivera said, but the play should have been called off long before that. The team melted down at the end, which has to fall on the coaching staff. A blown defensive coverage tied the game at the end, and the offense took a knee instead of taking one shot before overtime. Previous game's grade: C-
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow @CBSPanthers .
