Carolina Panthers defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-3! Recap and my thoughts on the game!

            In the season opener, the Carolina Panthers get the win, defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 23-3! Behind a suffocating defensive effort that including 4 sacks, an interception, and 3 fourth-down stops. Carolina allowed the fewest points they’ve ever allowed in an opener, the fewest before this game was 6 points in 1996 against the Falcons. Late in the first quarter, defensive end Wes Horton started the impact plays by the defense, stripping quarterback Brian Hoyer, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei recovered the fumble; three plays later quarterback Cam Newton connected with wide receiver Russell Shepard on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Two Graham Gano field goals after Panthers stopped the 49ers on fourth-down near mid-field extended the lead to 13-0 at halftime. The defense picked up right where they left off at on the first drive of the second half linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepted Hoyer and couple plays later Newton found running back Jonathan Stewart for an 8-yard touchdown to make it 20-0.

            The MVP for the Panthers this game for me would be safety, Kurt Coleman, in his first game as Carolina Panthers captain, he had couple key tackles on third and short that got the defense off the field, he tilled 6 solo tackles. Personally, Coleman is one of my favorite Panthers defensive players, he plays smart, great tackler and loves to intercept the ball and his celebration is simple but great. But like I said earlier the entire defense was great today, if they play like they played today, the Panthers have a good shot of making the playoffs again. The secondary surprised me on how good they played, I knew Bradberry and Coleman would play good but Worley and Adams both played good and held an offense that loves to throw the ball under control. The offense needs to work on a few things, Cam looked very rusty in the first half; underthrowing Kelvin Benjamin which got intercepted, overthrowing a wide-open Ed Dickson in the end zone. He did settle in a groove in the second half and play better but still needs some playing time to get all that rust off. Rookie running back Christian McCaffrey looked good, had 45 yards on 13 carries and added 5 catches for 38 yards but did lose a fumble in the fourth quarter. There’s nothing much else to say about today’s game, Panthers looked great. Carolina Panthers (1-0) home opener is next Sunday against the Buffalo Bills (1-0) with Bills head coach and former Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott homecoming. 

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers Preview!

With the Carolina Panthers kicking their season off Sunday, it’s time to starts each game preview! Let’s do this with Carolina Panthers at the San Francisco 49ers! Panthers are 6-point favorites as of Tuesday afternoon. It will be the first time the Panthers will be back at Levi’s Stadium since losing Super Bowl 50. 49ers will look to extend their 6-game winning streak in season opening games; it’s the sixth time in head coach Ron Rivera’s 7 years that the Panthers have started on the road. Both teams did face off last year at Bank of America Stadium with the Panthers coming out on top, 46-27.

            Coming off an unforgettable 2016 season, Carolina will try to re-establish themselves as one of the top teams in the NFC and make another trip to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Cam Newton is coming off shoulder surgery he had in March, only played in one preseason game but did look sharp. Newton has some new offense toys to play with in rookies Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel. Returning starters with Pro Bowl tight-end Greg Olsen and wide-out Kelvin Benjamin. Defensively, expect the Panthers to be better than they were in 2016, where they were 26^th in points allowed (25.1 points per game), front 7 should remain competitive (47 sacks, 2^nd in the NFL) as led by linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis and last year leading pass-rusher Mario Addison (9.5).

            With San Francisco, they're coming off a woeful 2-14 record last year, new head coach Kyle Shanahan, who formerly the offensive coordinator for NFC South foe Atlanta Falcons.  Will try to turn it around for the 49ers. Journeyman quarterback Brian Hoyer, who threw for 237.6 yards per game in 2014 while he was in Cleveland and had Shanahan as his coordinator, was his best season of his career. Veteran receiver Pierre Garcon is in the same boat, as his career highs in receptions (113) and receiving yards (1,346) in 2013 courtesy of Shanahan’s pass-heavy offense. Running back who had 988 yards in 2016 is expected to have another good year as well. On the defense, 49ers were ranked dead-last in total yards but first-round picks Soloman Thomas and Reuben Foster are expected to help change that around.

            This game will show if the Panthers secondary has improved this off-season or stayed the same because Kyle Shanahan offense is passing heavy and will exploit any weakness from the secondary. But I do believe the Panthers will win this game, Carolina has too many offensive weapons, Cam should be ready to go and well 49ers defense sucks. And riverboat Ron wants to start the season off with a win.  My final score predictions are Panthers: 35 49ers: 21. What are your predictions for this upcoming Sunday game? What other NFL game are you looking forward to watching this weekend? Tell me in the comment section below! And make sure to check back here Friday for a news roundup for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte and again Sunday night after the game for my post game recap and thoughts of the game!