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What started well didn’t end that way for Carolina in Sunday’s offensively-challenged 36-14 home loss to Denver.
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After scoring a touchdown on their second possession, the Panthers ended with 250 total yards of offense — their second-lowest total of the season, better only than their 190 yards in a 16-12 loss to Seattle.
“That was an embarrassing loss,” tackle Jordan Gross said. “That’s a good team. Everybody knows that. The defense played their tails off. They gave us a chance to win, and we didn’t do anything on offense. It was as bad a day as I can remember.”
Cam Newton passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked seven times and intercepted twice.
The Jack Del Rio-coordinated Broncos defense also came up with a safety when Mike Adams sacked Cam Newton in the end zone with 10:32 remaining to give Denver a 29-7 lead. Del Rio served as Panthers defensive coordinator in 2002.
“Without watching tape, everybody took their turn looking bad,” Gross said.
Tight end Greg Olsen was the Panthers’ brightest spot, hauling in nine passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Olsen’s 4-yard TD pass from Newton gave the Panthers a short-lived 7-0 lead at the 6:46 mark of the first quarter.
But once Denver claimed its first lead early in the second quarter, the Panthers couldn’t answer. Kevin Vickerson tallied two sacks while five other players recorded one each for the Broncos.
“We knew once they got the lead they were going to unleash those pass rushers,” Olsen said.
Defensive end Elvis Dumervil was one of those with one sack but left the game with a shoulder injury in the second quarter and never returned. The Panthers couldn’t take advantage of his absence.
The Panthers managed only 52 yards on the ground on 21 carries, with Jonathan Stewart’s 31 yards on eight carries leading the way.
Newton’s 5-yard TD pass to Olsen with 5:09 remaining allowed the Panthers to avoid tying the 36-7 debacle against the Giants for the lowest scoring output of the season. When asked if he was frustrated with the offensive line after he was sacked seven times, Newton said there were plenty of things that went wrong.
“I think it’s more frustrating to lose the football game,” Newton said. “We’re going to have days like that. That’s the same offensive line that did an excellent job a lot of times today, so I’m not thrashing them. I don’t expect anyone to thrash them. Those same guys are capable of doing things.”
Newton completed 21 of 36 passes and carried four times for seven yards.
“I think personally I have to do a better job getting the football out, getting it out to my outlets,” Newton said. “Someone else’s mistakes have to be brought up by another player. Whether it be myself, the running game, receivers catching it, we’ve just got to make it happen.”
A week after the Panthers went on the road to beat the Washington Football Team 21-13, Newton pointed at himself when it comes to the 2-7 team’s inconsistency.
“I attribute that to the person in the mirror,” Newton said. “I challenge myself to be better, and any competitor would do that. It’s not something the opposing team is doing because we have our opportunities.”
