Carolina Panthers 2011 regular season Review: A precursor to a bright future - NFL Special part II
Continued from http://www.senore.com/Carolina-Panthers-2011-regular-season-Review-A-precursor-to-a-bright-future-NFL-Special-part-I-a130755
At Chicago
Carolina Panthers had just won their first game and would have hoped to build some momentum off the victory but unluckily for them, they came up against a well drilled Chicago Bears side in week four.
This was a Bears side at the top of its game with both quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte fit and healthy and even though Carolina gave it their all they could not hold out Forte’s powerful runs.
Newton passed for a touchdown while rushed for two others to keep Carolina in the game but in the end his efforts were not enough as Carolina lost out 34-29.
Chicago’s kick returner Devin Hester made history in this game with a 69-yard punt return to become the leading NFL kick returner.
Running back Matt Forte too had a brilliant game, rushing for 205 yards and scoring a touchdown.
Against New Orleans
The Panthers faced National Football Conference (NFC) South division rivals New Orleans Saints in week five and this game really showcased an epic battle between the present and future of the NFL.
The Saints led by veteran quarterback Drew Brees were given a run for their money by Newton and the Panthers but in the end Brees’ experience came out on top as the Saints won 30-27 in the final few seconds of regulation.
The Panthers trailed Saints by three points at the end of the third quarter and the whole game hinged on the final 15 minutes of the fourth quarter.
At 12:32 in the final quarter, Newton passed the ball to Greg Olsen who reached the end-zone after making a five-yard run and for a while it looked like the Panthers had scored the winning points as they took a 27-23 lead with just three minutes left on
the clock.
The Saints though had none other than Drew Brees in their line-up and the quarterback stepped up for his team when needed.
Brees led New Orleans forward as the final seconds started rolling and with just 50 seconds left found running back Pierre Thomas who scored the game winning touchdown.
At Atlanta
The Panthers losing run showed no signs of ending as they faced another NFC South division rival in week six.
Carolina travelled to the Georgia Dome to face defending NFC South division champions Atlanta Falcons and once again ended up with the wrong result.
The Panthers led by the end of the third quarter 17-14 but could not build on that lead in the final period as Atlanta ran riot scoring two touchdowns and a field goal to run out 31-17 winners.
Newton did not have a good game at all as he did not pass for a single touchdown and was intercepted thrice during the game.
The rookie quarterback was highly disappointed in his performance and told reporters after the game.
"At some point, you've got to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what can you do to make it better. I'm doing a self-evaluation as we speak. It's not the time that you point the fingers and say, 'It's his fault.' It's time that we as a team take
ownership of ourselves."
To be continued
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