Zane Gonzalez Kicks Panthers to Victory in Preseason Opener
Landover, MD - One game is officially in the books as the Carolina Panthers will return home (briefly) as winners over the Washington Commanders, 23-21.
The plan coming into the day was to give Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold one series each and the coaching staff pretty much stuck to that plan. Mayfield started the game for the Panthers and went 4/7 for 46 yards, converting a pair of third downs to Shi Smith for gains of 19 and 15 yards. He kept plays alive with his feet and took command of the offense right out of the gate. The drive stalled just outside the red zone following a Mayfield fumble and Brandon Zylstra running the wrong route on third down. Zane Gonzalez booted one through from 41 yards out to give Carolina the first points of the afternoon.
Washington's offense was in a bit of a lull in the early going as they went three and out on their first series and then turned it over their next time out. Linebacker Cory Littleton punched the ball out of the hands of RB Antonio Gibson and it was recovered by rookie defensive end Amaré Barno, setting up a short field for Sam Darnold.
Darnold capitalized on the prime real estate, dropping in a dime to the inside shoulder of Rashard Higgins for a touchdown while taking a shot in the pocket.
The Commanders left their first team offense on the field against Carolina's twos/threes after a couple of uninspiring possessions. Fourteen plays later, Brian Robinson Jr. scampered into the end zone to put Washington on the board. Former Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed the extra point, leaving the score at 10-6 in favor of Carolina.
Late in the second quarter, Amaré Barno helped create yet another turnover as his rush forced a high throw from Taylor Heinicke resulting in an interception by Duke Dawson. P.J. Walker took over the two-minute offense and moved the ball into Washington territory. Unfortunately, the Panthers came up empty-handed after Walker elected to throw for a first on 4th and inches rather than use his legs to move the sticks and set up a field goal attempt.
Walker rebounded with a nice drive to open the third quarter, completing two passes for 20+ yards. Once the Panthers crossed inside the 10-yard line, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo fed RB Spencer Brown on three consecutive plays, eventually leading to six.
Walker was awarded one more drive and once again, moved the offense down the field. An 18-yard completion to Zylstra on 3rd and 13 kept the drive alive, but would have to settle for a 37-yard field goal from Gonzalez.
Former UNC Tar Heel QB Sam Howell made it a one-score game thanks to three consecutive big plays; a 27-yard completion to Kyric McGowan, a completion to Marken Michel for 16 yards, and then a 17-yard keeper for the touchdown.
After a three and out from Matt Corral, Howell went right back to work. He miraculously escaped out of a messy pocket and found Alex Erickson downfield for a 40-yard pick up. A couple of plays later, rookie corner Kalon Barnes was flagged for a facemask on RB Jarret Patterson which put the ball at the Carolina 16. After falling short of the first down, Washington head coach Ron Rivera decided to go for it on 4th and inches and picked it up on the ground with Reggie Bonnafon - another former Panther. Howell collected his second rushing touchdown of the day via a QB sneak. Rivera surpassed on the extra point and Howell found a wide-open Alex Erickson in the middle of the end zone to give the Commanders their first lead of the day, 21-20.
Corral had a chance to deliver a game-winning drive for the Panthers and in a roundabout way, he did. He received a lot of help from Washington's defense as two big penalties aided the Panthers down into field goal range. The first would have been ruled either a sack or a fumble but an illegal contact penalty on Jeremy Reaves completely changed things. Three plays later, Corral had his helmet ripped off by William Bradley-King as he reached for a sack and that penalty moved the ball to the Washington 29.
Zane Gonzalez squeezed one through the left upright to give the Panthers the win.
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