Panthers' decision not to give it to Chuba Hubbard on the goal line comes back to haunt them

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sometimes NFL play callers tend to make things more difficult on themselves than they need to.

Or, as the saying goes, they get too cute.

Such was the case Sunday when Carolina Panthers first-year play caller Brad Idzik had Bryce Young throw into a crowded left corner of the end zone to tight end Tommy Tremble on a first-and-goal at the Denver 1 rather than simply handing the ball off to Chuba Hubbard.

The result — following after a somewhat controversial challenge flag toss — was an interception by Denver safety Devon Key and a touchback.

The turnover changed the entire momentum of the game.

The Panthers were leading 14-13 at the time and looking to pad their lead heading into the fourth quarter. But the Broncos took advantage of the interception and marched 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown on a 9-yard run by Jonah Coleman. Denver added another TD on its next drive and beat Carolina, 26-21 .

Running a QB sneak with the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Young under center doesn’t play to Carolina's strengths.

Josh Allen, he’s not.

But giving it to Hubbard — once, twice, thrice or even four times — does. He has 28 touchdowns on the ground since 2021. Chances are he's going to get in sooner or later. He's built low to the ground and tends to fall forward with his runs, making him an extremely valuable asset on the goal line. Rarely is he tackled for a loss or no gain.

Panthers coach Dave Canales rationalized the decision this way after the game: "With four downs, you got to be able to sequence it and you have more options to be able to do that. Felt like we had space and felt like we had a great play to be able to take advantage of that.”

Despite the pick, the Panthers received a solid bounce-back performance from Young overall. He finished 28 of 39 for 276 yards with three touchdowns despite more shoddy pass protection.

Young had two turnovers, the second of which was a sack-fumble on Carolina's final offensive play, one he never saw coming from his blindside.

The lack of pass protection continues to plague the Panthers, who have been dealing with all sorts of injury problems up front. Young has been sacked nine times in the past two games. Carolina is hoping reinforcements are on the way with left tackle Ickey Ekwonu set to return this month following a knee injury in last year's playoffs.

The Panthers are also biding their time at cornerback until starters Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are able to return.

It has been a painful wait.

Along with Horn and Jackson, the Panthers also played Sunday without Akayleb Evans and Will Lee III, meaning they were down to their fifth and six options at cornerback this week — practice squad callups Corey Thornton and Marco Wilson.

That duo combined for five pass interference penalties against Denver.

Broncos coach and play caller Sean Payton went after both cornerbacks early, running the same deep route on the first two plays of the game. He said he has only done that one other time in his career.

Quarterback Bo Nix confirmed the Broncos went into the game looking to exploit Carolina's cornerback situation.

“I love two deep shots on the first couple plays, to get our guys running and make them adjust, make them back up a little bit,” Nix said. “I think that honestly helped throughout the game. Back them up, but also make them be a little bit physical. It helped with some pass interferences as the game went on."

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan continues to be rewarded for signing 34-year-old unrestricted free agent tight end Darren Waller over the summer. The 6-foot-6 Waller has given Young a big, reliable target.

Waller turned in another big game Sunday, catching eight of 10 passes thrown his way for 90 yards and a touchdown. He leads the Panthers with four TD catches.

It was a rough day for Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, who had entered 13 for 13 on field attempts. Fitzgerald not only missed a 43-yarder in the first quarter, but also sent a kickoff out of bounds. giving the Broncos great field position at the 40.

The Panthers emerged from Sunday's game relatively injury free.

Canales said the plan is to open the 21-day practice window on wide receiver Xavier Legette this week as he looks to return from IR, but added it's still too early to know if Horn or Jackson are ready to resume practice.

3 - The Panthers converted all three of their fourth-down attempts, marking the seventh game in team history in which they've attempted at least three fourth downs and converted all of them.

The Panthers head to New Orleans next Sunday to face the Saints. The winner takes over sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

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