Panthers devour Dolphins in second half 20-16
By Dedrick D. Henry, Sr.
On Sunday, the Dolphins allowed Carolina to score the game’s final 17 points, including a field goal on the Panthers’ final drive of the first half and a touchdown on their first drive of the second quarter. The Dolphins led 16-6 at halftime. The Dolphins managed to contain Newton and the Panther’s offense by only allowing two field goals in the first half. A scoreless second half sealed the fate of the Dolphins. With the game and the season on the line, they couldn’t make a defensive stop on fourth-and-10 late in the fourth quarter.
Smith had five catches for 69 yards. Smith had a 19 yard reception that set the Panther’s up for the score. The Panthers trailed 16-13 when their winning drive began at their own 20 with 4:13 left. With no timeouts remaining, they went for it on fourth down, and Newton threaded a pass between two defenders to Steve Smith for a 19-yard gain. A few plays later, the Panthers scored the winning touchdown, a 1-yard pass from Newton to Greg Olsen, condemning the Dolphins to their sixth loss. But not before WR #11 Mike Wallace and QB #17 Ryan Tannehill had one final chance on a day in which they finally connected on a couple of deep balls that weren’t pretty but successful. On fourth down with 18 seconds left at the Dolphins’ 40, Tannehill double-pumped then threw a pass that traveled more than 60 yards in the air.
Wallace was behind the defense, but couldn’t find the ball. It ended up hitting him in the hands before it hit the ground, sounds familiar right. Wallace had 127 yards on five catches. Tannehill and Wallace teamed up for a 53-yard touchdown and a 57-yard completion to set up a field goal. The Panthers made adjustments that helped turn the game around after the half. The Dolphins surrendered 4.7 yards per carry on the day, and 105 yards on 19 attempts after halftime.
The officials picked up a flag on a clear helmet-to-helmet hit in the end zone by Luke Kuechly against Dolphins WR# 18 Rishard Matthews. Tannehill finished 28 of 42 for 310 yards, a touchdown and an interception. A referee made a late-hit call on Safety #20 Reshad Jones during the Panthers’ game-winning drive that contributed to the Panther’s winning drive. Jones barely touched Newton as he raced out of bounds, but the quarterback went sprawling like he was drilled. That gave the Panthers 15 yards.
Miami’s defense allowed the Panthers to get in field-goal range in just one minute, despite having no timeouts. The biggest breakdown: a 29-yard completion to Brandon LaFell in which the entire secondary was downfield. The series of events gave Carolina life in the second half and reinvigorated its defense and the game’s momentum had shifted in the Panthers direction. The Dolphins managed just 119 yards, seven first downs after halftime and no points.
