The Carolina Panthers faced the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 22nd in Week 3 of the NFL season. Here are some highlights from the game.
Entering the game, Kyler Murray was still hunting for his first win, and he will continue to hunt after a tough loss Sunday. Despite some amazing offensive work in his first three games, the rest of Murray’s team seems to come up short. With both teams looking for their first win, the game seemed evenly matched coming in.
Despite a good first half for the Cardinals, they ended up finishing just short, losing by a score of 38-20.
In the first half, the Cardinals looked like they had a decent shot at coming out victorious. They outscored the Panthers 14-10 in the first half and left fans optimistic of a first win. That lead went downhill in the third and fourth quarters where Carolina outscored Arizona 24-10 en route to the victory.
Murray was 30-for-43 passing for 173 yards, and while he was intercepted twice, he threw for two touchdowns, too. He also showed that he can cover some ground as he ran for 69 yards.
Murray was outshone by Kyle Allen who was making his second NFL start. Allen was very good overall, completing 19 of 26 passes for 261 yards. Allen and Murray were teammates at Texas A&M in 2015 before they both transferred.
The Cardinals’ defense proved they still need some work, as Carolina was all over them. Allowing four touchdown passes and 38 total points, the Arizona defense was one of the main keys to the Panthers being able to pull ahead in this matchup. The Arizona offensive line was also brutalized in this game, and the Panthers’ defense got through to sack Kyler Murray seven times.
Despite the poor work on defense, some players still managed to shine. Linebacker Chandler Jones had five tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.
Punter Andy Lee was the only player injured in the game; he left with a hip flexor injury suffered after he made a punt return tackle.
Heading into next week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, there is definitely a bit of a down in Arizona’s confidence. If their defensive and offensive lines can keep it together and have a good game, the Cardinals could easily take the Week 4 game. As for the Panthers, they will hope to carry their momentum from their first win into their game against the Texans next week as they seek a second win.
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