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Seven months after the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in decisive fashion, the Carolina Panthers failed to exact revenge. Graham Gano missed a 50-yard field-goal attempt with nine seconds remaining that would have won Thursday night"s contest at Sports Authority Field, and the Broncos escaped with a 21-20 victory.
The Broncos moved to 1-0 after Cam Newton and the Pantherswho have now lost as many games as they did all of last seasoncrept into Denver territory late and made the defending champions sweat things out.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Broncos have won five straight season openers. They"re also 29-4 at home since 2012tied with the New England Patriots for the best mark during that span.
While the altitude figured to help Gano with the game on the line, he hasn"t thrived from distance of late. Specifically, Gano has missed four of his last seven from at least 50 yards out, per ESPN Stats & Info.
While the Broncos offense wasn"t high-powered, it had enough balance to get past a stout Panthers defense.
Broncos running back C.J. Anderson shouldered a significant load and finished with 20 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown to go with four catches, 47 receiving yards and a score.
And considering Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian hadn"t thrown a pass in regular-season action entering the night, heappeared relatively poised in the pocket as he finished with 178 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 18-of-26 passing.
The former Northwestern Wildcats signal-caller led the Broncos deep into Panthers territory on the team"s first two possessions, but both ended with turnovers. Rookie running back Devontae Booker squandered a strong opening drive with a fumble on the first carry of his career, and Siemian botched a bubble screen the next time down that linebacker Thomas Davis tipped and picked off.
Despite those hiccups, the Broncos ate up chunks of yards against a Panthers defense that started two rookie cornerbacks in JamesBradberry and Daryl Worley.
And as impressive as Siemian was in his first extended action as a pro, Newton (18-of-33, 194 yards, one touchdown, one interception) was on another plane over the first 30 minutes.
An MVP-caliber one, to be specific.
Newton not only played pitch and catch with Kelvin Benjamin throughout the first half, but he gashed the Broncos defense with his legs on designed runs and impressive escapes from pressure outside the tackle box. All told, Newton finished with 11 carries for 54 yards.
After Newton and Benjamin hooked up for the game"s first score on a 14-yard touchdown pass, the reigning MVP burned past a pair of Broncos defenders to help put the Panthers up 14-7, as the NFL documented on Twitter:
NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz was in awe of Newton"s athleticism:
According to the Associated Press" Steve Reed, Newton"s 44th career scoring scamper thrust him past Steve Young and into the No. 1 spot on the NFL"s all-time rushing touchdown list among quarterbacks.
However, the Panthers had trouble maintaining their electric offensive ways throughout the third quarterespecially after Newton suffered an apparent lower right leg injury after DeMarcus Ware sacked him.
Newton returned after limping around the sideline, and an uneventful three-and-out preceded a remarkable interception by Broncos cornerback Chris Harris, as shown by the team"s official Twitter account:
That turnover put the Broncos deep in Panthers territory, and Anderson"s second score helped put the Broncos up 21-17 as Carolina scrambled for the offensive continuity that kept it ahead throughout the first half.
An illegal hands-to-the-face call on Harris appeared to save the Panthers when they stared at 4th-and-21 with two minutes to go, but Gano couldn"t capitalize on the ground Newton made up as he absorbed vicious shot after vicious shot to put his team in a position to win on the road.
The Panthers will now have nine days off before they return home to Bank of America Stadium and aim at a move to 1-1 against the San Francisco 49ers.
Denver, meanwhile, will use part of its long week to bask in the glow of Thursday night"s win before the Indianapolis Colts come to town Sept. 18 for what figures to be a game of contrasting styles on both sides of the ball.
"We made too many mistakes coaching and playing," Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said, per the Denver Post"s Nicki Jhabvala. "We survived tonight."
However, Kubiak was proud of his team"s performance over the game"s final 30 minutes.
"I think we always play hard, but we just played much better in the second half," he said, per Jhabvala.
Kubiak also took note of his new quarterback"s impressive debut against the defending NFC champions.
"He"s gonna make mistakes," he said, according to Jhabvala. "But, man, he has poise."
As for the Panthers, tight end Greg Olsen was among those displeased with the way Broncos defenders repeatedly crunched Newton.
"Treat him like a quarterback," he said, per NFL Network"s Omar Ruiz. "I know he"s the biggest guy on the field, but he"s still a QB."
"It was a very physical game," Newton said, according to Max Henson of the team"s official website. "It"s not my job to question the officials. But it"s not fun getting hit in the head."
Elsewhere, USA Today"s Tom Pelissero caught up with Broncos safety Darian Stewartwho drilled Newton with a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter:
As for Gano, the Panthers kicker tried to maintain a positive approach in advance of next week"s game against the 49ers.
"It"s not a good feeling," he said of the missed kick, according toHenson. "Wish I could have it back. But I just have to move on to the next kick."
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2662589-panthers-vs-broncos-score-and-twitter-reaction-for-thursday-night-football
