Panthers Pick Up First Win Off of a Game-Winner

A recap of how the Panthers notched their first win of the season.

In a battle of first versus second overall pick, C.J. Stroud and the Texans came to town to take on Bryce Young and the Panthers on Sunday.

After a quiet first quarter for both teams, the Texans found themselves first on the board after a 17-play, 92-yard drive ending with a touchdown run from fullback Andrew Beck.

The Panthers tried to immediately follow that up with a touchdown drive of their own, but ultimately the drive ended with a turnover-on-downs with Bryce Young and Adam Thielen unable to connect at the HOU 2-yard line.

With a little under five minutes left in the half though, Carolina was able to put together another drive with successful ball movement. This one ended with a better result, as Tommy Tremble was able to catch a 1-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-goal. 

Unfortunately though, kicker Eddie Pineiro would miss the extra point, leaving Carolina trailing 7-6 at the half. Fortunately for Pineiro, he would have his chance for redemption later!

Carolina would find more success moving the ball as the second half began. a 9-play drive capped by a 46-yard field goal by Pineiro kicked off the half and gave the Panthers the lead.

Houston then fumbled the ball two plays later, setting Pineiro up nicely for 37-yard field goal with 7:58 left in the third, giving Carolina a 12-7 lead.

C.J. Stroud and the Houston offense were not going to go down without a fight though, responding with a 12-play, 75-yard drive ending with a Stroud rushing touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt that followed was incomplete, so Houston led 13-12 heading into the fourth quarter.

The teams then traded a pair of punts a piece through a defense-heavy fourth quarter. This set the Panthers up with the ball at their own 9-yard line with 6:17 remaining in the game, and a chance to drive the field for the win.

And drive is exactly what they did.

During the 15-play, 86-yard drive the Panthers got a little bit of everything, but most importantly they executed in pivotal moments.

After finding themselves at 2nd-and-19 two plays earlier, Bryce Young was able to connect with Adam Thielen to convert on 4th-and-2.

Running back Chuba Hubbard was able to pick up multiple double-digit gains on the drive, as well as convert a pivotal 3rd-and-2 on the ground deep in Houston territory.

And perhaps most importantly, kicker Eddie Pineiro, who missed the extra point in the first half, was able to remain calm, confident, and collected on his way to three attempts for the game winning field goal. That's right, three!

The first was blown dead before Pineiro could actually attempt the kick because of an offsides penalty on Tavierre Thomas. An unnecessary roughness call on Thomas during the same play moved the next attempt up a bit. 

On the second attempt, Tavierre Thomas again got called for a penalty in trying to delay the game via penalty. Pineiro actually got the kick attempt off on this one, but by rule the officials had to blow the play dead as soon as Thomas' actions were noted. 

So after moving the ball yet a bit closer from the 3rd penalty on Thomas, asking a rambunctious crowd in Bank of America Stadium to calm down, and centering himself, Pineiro found himself with his third and final chance to kick the game winner.

After nailing the 23-yarder directly through the uprights, a game winner was indeed what it was. Pineiro found redemption, and the Panthers found their first win of the season.

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