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| Cam Newton posted an excellent 125.4 passer rating and was in total control of the Panthers' offense in their 24-20 win against New England on Monday night. |
Cory Puffett
The ending raised some eyebrows, and New England fans will
no doubt be upset by the way it ended. It looked to me to be the right call.
And interception works the same as a tip. A tipped pass in front of the
receiver negates any pass interference. However, there may be a legitimate
complaint that Luke Kuechly impeded Rob Gronkowski’s ability to come back to
the football.
In any case, the Panthers won the game and extend their
winning streak to six games, including two straight against winning teams.
Carolina never really got their rushing attack going. Cam
Newton picked up 62 yards on seven carries but nobody else topped 20 yards.
The passing game was enough this week, though. Cam Newton
hit three different receivers for touchdowns and did not throw an interception.
In fact, the Panthers did not turn the ball over at all.
LeGarrette Blount and Steven Ridley combined for nearly 100
yards on the ground for New England, and Tom Brady had a good game throwing the
ball. But Carolina’s defense kept long drives from becoming scoring drives.
Once again, the Panthers held an opponent scoreless in the
first quarter. They’ve only given up eight points all season in the opening
quarter. New England converted a field goal in the second quarter, but Carolina
has still now only given up one touchdown in the first half of games this
season.
Carolina is red hot right now. They’re 7-3 now with a fairly
weak schedule coming up outside of two matchups with the New Orleans Saints,
the first of which will be in the Superdome in three weeks. Though I don’t
think the Saints have much to worry about, the Panthers are definitely in
position for a wild-card spot in the NFC.
The Patriots have now lost their last three games on the
road. They host Denver next Sunday night, which certainly could be their first
home loss of the season. And with road games against teams like Miami and
Baltimore yet to come, there are still a lot of questions this team has to
answer before the playoffs.
Final Score:
New England Patriots – 20
Carolina Panthers – 24
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