Wait for it!
Bryce Young drops back to pass on the Carolina Panthers’ first drive of the game. Feeling the pocket collapse around him he quickly throws the ball, attempting to hit Rico Dowdle for a short gain.. Instead, the ball ricochets off the helmet of Damien Lewis.
Wait for it!
Young follows the blunder with a completion to Tetairoa McMillan for a 29-yard gain on 3rd and 8.
Wait for it!
Young then fumbles the ball, throws an interception and the Panthers are in a 17-0 hole to the visiting Miami Dolphins. A whole bunch of nothing in the first series of drives in the game.
But Wait …Watch this!
Carolina’s defense shuts Miami’s water off until Tua Tagovaloa linked up with Jaylen Waddle for a 46-yard touchdown with 4:42 remaining in the 4th quarter – putting the Dolphins up 24-20. Young followed with a four-yard touchdown to Mitchell Evans…Panthers win.
Sunday’s game against the Dolphins was a summary of the theme of Panthers football for the past few years-waiting. Waiting to excel, waiting to exhale, or waiting for the shoe to drop. Every down on either side of the ball was an exercise in waiting on these three things. Sometimes the wait turns out to be worth it with a win. Sometimes, the waiting and the work would be all in vain for a loss.
Against the Dolphins, the ‘wait’ turned out to be worth it in a wild, 27-24 nailbiter at the ‘Bank.
Rico Suave
Filling in for the injured Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle ran through the Dolphins’ defense for a career-high 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 attempts. While the running was impressive, what stood out to me was his ability to catch in short, flat routes.
Granted, Dowdle’s role is dependent on Hubbard’s health, I believe there is a way for both he and Hubbard to be utilized together. Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales could experiment with 21 personnel sets in some situations and create a dynamic where the two backs can play off of each other.
Next week, the 27-year-old undrafted free agent out of South Carolina will square off against his old team in Week Six when the Dallas Cowboys come to Uptown. He wanted to stay in Dallas after rushing for a career-high 1,079 yards last season, but the two sides couldn’t agree on a contract.
Ahead of the matchup, Dowdle has a suggestion for the Cowboys’ defense.
“They know I’m a violent runner,” he said postgame. “I’m looking forward to getting to the second level on them. They’ve just got to buckle up.”
Winning Third Down and Locking In
Carolina and Miami are mirror images of each other on third-down conversions. Miami can’t stop anyone on first down, while Carolina is better at defending third down. Carolina can’t buy a third-down conversion, while Miami can.
In Week 5, the Panthers were 5-for-11 on third down conversions and kept drives alive by taking advantage of gaps in the Dolphins’ secondary and by Dowdle’s running.
Defensively, Carolina held Miami to 5-for-13 on third down conversions. Pat Jones came up huge late in the game with a sack on 3rd-and-10 to set up the game-winning drive.
After the beatdown in Week 4, Canales wanted to move on from the mistakes quickly. That focus helped the team overcome two early turnovers and a 17-point deficit. Canales realizes there’s is still work to do.
“After a pretty sloppy up and down first half, (we) have a lot to clean up; a lot to work on. Some procedural stuff. Two of them were on me getting the play in late after a big play. I’ve got to be better there,” he said.
Legette Improves
After a hamstring injury sidelined him for two weeks, Xavier Legette returned to the lineup with three targets, two receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown.
The numbers may not be impressive, but they might be indicative of a turnaround for the second-year wideout. Dave Canales was moved by Legette’s resilience.
“I’m honestly just very proud of the work he’s put in to get himself back out there,” he said. “I see him attacking the things he needs to work on in practice. He’s not shying away from it.”
The touchdown in the second quarter was described as a “trust throw”. Young targeted McMillan eight times to Legette’s three. I expect a similar line for Legette in Week 6 because consistency and awareness need to be shown. He has to continue to earn Yong’s trust, and it will take more than just two games.
Worth The Wait: Takeaways From Panthers’ Week 5 Win