Alternate Ending: How the Panthers’ last second-L could have ended differently

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The visiting locker room at Bank of America Stadium was nearly empty Sunday as Baker Mayfield hobbled to his locker with a protective boot on his right foot.

The experienced quarterback gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a win with a good game. He was tired, hurt and ready to go. Mayfield spotted a few Charlotte reporters hanging out near his locker and told them he was done with his media duties.

But as he stuffed his cleats into a duffel bag, Mayfield was ready to weigh in on one topic: Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who brought his team back for the second straight game with a fourth-quarter drive just to see how the opponent responds and you win with a walk-off field goal.

The Panthers (3-9) are still figuring out how to win under first-year coach Dave Canales and a young quarterback. But after watching Young throw for 298 yards on 46 throws without a turnover, Mayfield was sure of one thing.

“I thought Bryce played his balls,” he said.

Young and Mayfield met while filming a Nissan “Heisman House” commercial, so Mayfield may have some fondness for the former Alabama quarterback.

Go deeper

The Bucs beat the Panthers in OT and tie for first place with the Falcons in the NFC South: Key takeaways

But there are few people better able to speak to what Young has experienced in his first two seasons than Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick who was left for dead in Charlotte before Canales ended his career during hers in 2023 The only year we spent together in 2023 revitalized Tampa.

“Speaking from experience with the ups and downs of the league, get through it, come out the other side and it makes you stronger in the end,” Mayfield said. “That’s why I’m proud of him. And of course knowing who he’s working with now is a big part of it, with the positivity and confidence that comes with it. So he’ll be fine.”

The Panthers’ 26-23 overtime loss to the Bucs dropped Young’s record as a starter to 4-19. But Mayfield said he believes Young can be a franchise quarterback. Canales may not be as confident as Mayfield, but Young has at least put himself back in the conversation after being benched in Week 3 following a rough start to his sophomore year.

Asked about those who would be willing to bury Young two games into his second season, Mayfield said, “Yeah, well, they were worried about the wrong people.”

Every week it looks like the Panthers have a lot of the right people in place – from the front office to the coaching staff to the locker room. But as Young told his teammates in a profanity-laced postgame speech following last week’s 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Panthers aren’t quite there yet.

The message from Panthers players Sunday was essentially the same.

“It sucks because we’re trying to do something special and we’re not there yet. “We have to learn to win games like this,” said right-back Robert Hunt. “And once we learn to win games like that, the result will be different. We’ll feel a lot better.”

As the Panthers try to overcome another tough loss, The athletic one examines how Sunday could have turned out differently.

1. When the officials rule, Adam Thielen scores at the end of the first half

With the game tied at 10 in the final seconds of the first half, Young fired a pass to Adam Thielen in the back of the end zone. Thielen wobbled the ball before bringing it to the ground and appeared to score a touchdown with his knee.

But the officials – who lost a man after referee Carl Paganelli left the game due to injury in the first quarter – called it an incomplete pass. New York’s replay officials reviewed the play and were unable to determine whether Thielen retained possession of the ball while he went to the ground and whether the on-court decision stood.

“In one of the angles – and there weren’t a lot of available angles and we didn’t have a chance to turn him over – you can see him come off the ball with at least one hand as he rolls over,” NFL vice president Mark Butterworth told Instant Replay a pool reporter. “So if it was ruled incomplete on the field, we would have to show that he was in control to award him a touchdown.”

Butterworth said every NFL game has at least nine broadcast cameras, but the Panthers-Bucs game didn’t have as many cameras as others.

Thielen called the NFL’s statement “absurd.”

“They told me my right hand fell off the ball, which is crazy to me because the ball never moved. So my hand moves, but that’s okay,” he said. “And my left hand was (safe). That’s why as soon as I stood up I thought this thing was a catch because I knew my left hand was blocked the whole time.”

Transcript of the pool report with replay manager Mark Butterworth, who noted that this game did not have as many cameras as others. pic.twitter.com/a36R7FU3m7

— Joe Person (@josephperson) December 2, 2024

Instead of taking a 14-10 halftime lead, the Panthers settled for a field goal from Eddy Pineiro. And while Thielen pointed out that points are important in every game, he was upset that he didn’t catch the ball cleanly.

“I knew I was obviously in frame, but at the same time I should have caught it the first time,” he said. “So I can’t put it in the hands of the referees – and I can’t put it in the hands of New York either.”

2. If Pineiro keeps his series intact

Pineiro entered the game with the highest scoring rate in NFL history. His 47-yard throw in the first quarter was his 41st consecutive successful field goal at Bank of America Stadium, tying Graham Gano’s franchise record. Then Pineiro missed twice in a row (from 38 and 45 yards) in the second quarter, ending his streak and costing the Panthers six points in a game they lost by three.

“I take full responsibility for that. I just missed it,” Pineiro said. “I just have to pick a better target and just keep going and get the ball through.”

Pineiro’s rare day off was part of a larger problem for the Panthers, who have been stuck in the red zone over the past two weeks. The Panthers had ten red zone chances against the Chiefs and Bucs, resulting in six field goals, three touchdowns and one missed field goal.

“In situations like this, we have to score touchdowns,” Canales said. “It was really close last week. Really tight stuff this week. That just means we’re refining the chemistry, refining the milestones and just making sure we finish like that.”

3. When Chuba Hubbard keeps the ball

The Bucs (6-6) failed to score on their first possession of overtime as Chase McLaughlin missed a 55-yard field goal attempt. This gave the Panthers excellent starting position at their 45-yard line. After a 5-yard scramble by the youngsters, Thielen made a one-handed 16-yard highlight catch to bring the Panthers to the Bucs’ 34-yards.

But on the next play, linebacker Anthony Nelson sacked running back Chuba Hubbard and the Bucs’ Yaya Diaby recovered the fumble at the 29 before Taylor Moton could reach it. It was Hubbard’s third lost fumble this season and the fifth of his career. And it was expensive. Instead of setting Pineiro up for a potential game-winning kick, the Bucs moved quickly down the field and won it with a 30-yard kick from McLaughlin.

“It obviously sucks,” Hubbard said. “The game is on the line and all we have to do is run the ball and kick a field goal. Everyone trusts you with the ball. … Of course it’s a terrible way to lose, but all I can do is own it and get better.”

As Tampa Bay celebrated McLaughlin’s game-winning goal, Hubbard sat alone on the Panthers’ bench for a few minutes before heading toward the exit without speaking to anyone. But his teammates supported a player who recently signed a four-year, $33.2 million contract extension because of his performance and exemplary professionalism.

“He puts so much into his preparation that there’s a guy that you just say, ‘Hey, this is football.’ Something like that happens. We know your heart. “We know what you’re up to,” Thielen said. “We love this guy and it’s because of what he does week in and week out. I know that no one in this locker room thinks that he will lose us this game. That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

That’s Chuba Hubbard, still on the Panthers’ bench. pic.twitter.com/QAt3OefXIj

— Joe Person (@josephperson) December 2, 2024

4. When the defense makes a key stop

When Patrick Mahomes knocked down a 33-yard scramble to help the Chiefs win from a deficit, you can somewhat live with that. But Sunday was just the latest example of a defense that can’t stop the run and has trouble getting off the field.

When Jadeveon Clowney stepped on Mayfield’s right ankle in the second half, Mayfield returned after missing two plays – and promptly threw an interception to Xavier Woods. But Mayfield and the Bucs’ backs ran roughshod over the Panthers from that point on. Tampa Bay scored on four of its final five possessions (including overtime), and the only non-scoring drive ended with McLaughlin’s 55-yard loss.

If someone – anyone – on defense makes a game-changing play like Nelson’s in the final moments of the game, there’s a good chance they’ll send Mayfield home with a loss.

“(In) run defense, it’s all about being in the right place,” freshman Chau Smith-Wade said. “If they gas us on the run, maybe someone isn’t in the right position or they’re not hitting hard or fast enough. … We just have to play faster and finish.”

(Top photo by Adam Thielen: Bob Donnan / Imagn Images)