Redskins-Panthers 1st quarter game review

Hi kids. Time to re-live and thus internalize a rather dramatic loss. As always the play by play is taken from the NFL Gamebook.

First Quarter

G.Gano kicks 65 yards from WAS 35 to end zone, Touchback.

One – and only one – of the Panthers cover guys, while all his comrades are dropping back into blocking position, sprints straight forward and launches himself at a Redskins who I think is Niles Paul but can’t be sure. It’s not the last time we will see that, and I’m not sure what to make of it.

Carolina Panthers at 15:00

1-10-CAR 20 (15:00) D.Williams left guard to CAR 21 for 1 yard (B.Orakpo).

Bowen is successfully sealed inside, but Rocky stops the pulling guard cold to allow Fletcher to close for the stop, while Orakpo joins him after nicely shedding the FB’s block.

2-9-CAR 21 (14:22) (Shotgun) C.Newton pass incomplete short left to S.Smith.

Cam throws off his back foot with Bowen and Carriker (Maybe Golston? Not a great view but can see the “4”) pinching the pocket and he sails it high.

3-9-CAR 21 (14:18) (Shotgun) C.Newton scrambles right end to CAR 46 for 25 yards (R.Doughty).           

Bowen rushes to the inside through the offensive left B gap, and despite the fact that his rush is meant to be diversionary to open a path for Barnes off the edge (who is picked up by the RB) he is the only one to really penetrate. The scramble that follows leaves little to analyze because it is simply Cam Newton being an amazing athlete.  If you want to nitpick I suppose you could criticize Barnes, DeAngelo Hall, and Fletcher for badly missing open field tackles, but then it was Cam Newton they were trying to tackle so I’m not inclined to be that hard on them. Landry, by the way, got absolutely leveled by a blind side block.

1-10-CAR 46 (14:18) PENALTY on CAR-C.Newton, Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at CAR 46 - No Play.

1-15-CAR 41 (13:20) C.Newton pass short right to L.Naanee to CAR 48 for 7 yards (D.Hall).

A simple smoke route; soft coverage conceded the yards. Good open field tackle by Hall.

2-8-CAR 48 (12:41) C.Newton pass short left to J.Felton to WAS 35 for 17 yards (J.Wilson).           

Someone gets confused in coverage. Wilson is initially lined up over the wide receiver. When the TE motions out wider, Wilson shifts to him and Orakpo abandons his potision on the line to cover the WR, who is now the inside guy. That guy runs a a slant and go – Orakpo covers the slant, then Fletcher picks him up when he runs upfield. That leaves no one responsible for the flat and the FB is wide open.

1-10-WAS 35            (11:56) (Shotgun) C.Newton pass short right to J.Shockey to WAS 26 for 9 yards (L.Fletcher).

2-1-WAS 26 (11:19) J.Felton up the middle to WAS 22 for 4 yards (R.McIntosh).           

Carriker and Cofield are each muscled off the line by double teams.

1-10-WAS 22 (10:34) D.Williams left end to WAS 20 for 2 yards (L.Landry). Direct snap to 34-Williams, Deangelo

Rob Jackson is in at ROLB. He jumps to the inside which should give up the corner, but Wilson evades the FB’s block and Fletcher and Landry put on a good pursuit.

2-8-WAS 20 (10:10) (Shotgun) J.Stewart left guard to WAS 6 for 14 yards (R.Doughty).           

Jackson is still in. He drives to the inside of the TE and is exploited by the cut outside but it is clearly a one gap play so I think the real responsibility lies with Landry who was on the LOS and let himself get too far upfield (he was pursuing the deep back; Stewart was lined up like an offset FB) and lost contain.

1-6-WAS 6 (9:33) C.Newton up the middle to WAS 2 for 4 yards (A.Carriker).

The Carolina line opens a wide hole betweem Carriker and Cofield and Cam see his chance, but Carriker sheds his block just enough to get a hand on him and slow him down a little.

2-2-WAS 2   (8:57) (Shotgun) PENALTY on CAR-G.Olsen, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at WAS 2 - No Play.

2-7-WAS 7 (8:38) (Shotgun) C.Newton right tackle to WAS 8 for -1 yards (L.Landry).

This was a designed QB run after the fake handoff and Landry read it well and was waiting at the LOS – Cam slips while trying to juke him.

3-8-WAS 8 (8:05) (Shotgun) C.Newton scrambles right end to WAS 2 for 6 yards (L.Fletcher).

Redskins drop eight in coverage, so Cam see no one open and escapes to his right. Barnes takes a bad angle and gets beat, but he at least forces Cam to the sideline so Hall and Fletcher can close and stop him short of the touchdown.

4-2-WAS 2 (7:34) O.Mare 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-J.Jansen, Holder-J.Baker.

WAS 0 CAR 3, 13 plays, 78 yards, 7:29 drive, 7:29 elapsed

O.Mare kicks 65 yards from CAR 35 to end zone, Touchback.

Washington Redskins at 7:31

1-10-WAS 20 (7:31) (Shotgun) J.Beck pass short left to S.Moss to WAS 21 for 1 yard (J.Anderson).

Bubble screen. Niles Paul fails to hold his block and Montgomery simply misses his entirely.

2-9-WAS 21 (6:55) T.Hightower right end to WAS 31 for 10 yards (J.Phillips).           

Brown gets pushed back and forces Hightower to take it wider than he would want, but he makes it outside and cuts upfield because Darrel Young manages to sloppily but effectively set the corner.

1-10-WAS 31 (6:24) J.Beck pass short middle to S.Moss to WAS 47 for 16 yards (J.Anderson).           

Hightower puts a good strong block on a blitzing safety. More impressive is Young’s ability to read the LB coming on a delayed blitz behind him.

1-10-WAS 47 (5:41) T.Hightower right end to CAR 47 for 6 yards (D.Connor).

Darrel Young false starts by nearly a full second and somehow gets away with it.  This obviously helps him get to the edge and then down field, and Brown seals the LDE to the inside to allow Hightower to cut.

2-4-CAR 47 (5:34) T.Hightower left guard to CAR 40 for 7 yards (J.Anderson).           

Power running here. Montgomery double teams the RDT with Cook, and Young leads through the hole and puts a hat on the WLB. Then Hightower runs through two tackles to pick up the first down.

1-10-CAR 40 (4:57) J.Beck pass incomplete deep middle to F.Davis (J.Anderson).

Beck thought he had Davis manned up on a LB and saw Davis beating him. But Beck was wrong – a safety was over the top to pick Davis up which allowed the LB to slip underneath this route and nearly pick it off.

2-10-CAR 40 (4:57) PENALTY on WAS-F.Davis, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at CAR 40 - No Play.

2-15-CAR 45 (4:53) (Shotgun) J.Beck pass incomplete short right to T.Hightower (A.Applewhite).

3-15-CAR 45 (4:49) (Shotgun) J.Beck sacked at WAS 48 for -7 yards (A.Applewhite). FUMBLES (A.Applewhite), RECOVERED by CAR-T.McClain at WAS 48. T.McClain to WAS 48 for no gain (E.Cook).

Both Helu and Davis (lined up in the backfield) release into routes, so no one is there to bail out Brown when the LDE beats him to the outside with a speed rush. Nonetheless, the pressure took enough time to develop that Beck really should have sense it – he had no idea he was in danger when he got stripped form behind.

Carolina Panthers at 4:41

1-10-WAS 48 (4:41) C.Newton sacked at CAR 46 for -6 yards (sack split by A.Carriker and L.Landry).

Penalty on CAR-B.Bell, Personal Foul, declined.

Both the TE and LT follow Orakpo’s wide rush so Landry, who crossed the formation at the last second before the snap, can blitz through a wide open A gap. When Cam steps up he runs into Landry and Carriker, who drives the RG back and then sheds the block.

2-16-CAR 46 (4:22) (Shotgun) C.Newton pass short right to L.Naanee to WAS 46 for 8 yards (D.Hall).

3-8-WAS 46 (3:42) (Shotgun) C.Newton pass incomplete deep left to B.LaFell.

4-8-WAS 46 (3:36) J.Baker punts 33 yards to WAS 13, Center-J.Jansen, fair catch by B.Banks.

Washington Redskins at 3:28

1-10-WAS 13 (3:28) T.Hightower left end to WAS 30 for 17 yards (C.Godfrey).           

Paulsen and Locklear seal outside, Montgomery and Cook seal inside. It’s not a big hole, but Hightower shoots through it just quick enough.

1-10-WAS 30 (2:50) T.Hightower left end to WAS 32 for 2 yards (D.Connor).

2-8-WAS 32 (2:10) T.Hightower right tackle to WAS 37 for 5 yards (J.Anderson).

Locklear doesn’t get a good cut on the RDT, but second effort from Hightower turns this into yards.

3-3-WAS 37 (1:25) J.Beck pass incomplete short left to S.Moss.

Penalty on CAR-C.Johnson, Defensive Offside, offsetting, enforced at WAS 37 - No Play.

Penalty on WAS-S.Locklear, Offensive Holding, offsetting.

This is the first of two instances in which Locklear never would have committed a hold without the guy jumping offside in the first place. Seems like an odd loophole.

3-3-WAS 37 (1:22) R.Helu left end to WAS 36 for -1 yards (J.Anderson, D.Butler).

PENALTY on CAR-T.Williams, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced at WAS 36.            

Davis and Montgomery seal the RDE and Paul gets a good block on the playside OLB, but no one gets to the second level to cut off the second LB.

1-10-CAR 49 (:51) T.Hightower left end to CAR 32 for 17 yards (A.Applewhite).           

Hightower’s speed to the edge allows him to escape the penetration given up by Locklear and Montgomery, and the big yards are sprung by great downfield blocks by Davis and Young.

1-10-CAR 32 (:24) T.Hightower left tackle to CAR 32 for no gain (J.Anderson).

PENALTY on CAR-T.McClain, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced at CAR 32 - No Play.

1-5-CAR 27 (:06) T.Hightower left end to CAR 24 for 3 yards (C.Munnerlyn).

This was only a modest gain, but it was only a strong block from Davis that got Hightower even this much.