Admit it Panthers fans, when you saw Mike Wahle heading into the locker room with a towel over his head, you thought “Uh oh.” I know I did.
An offensive line missing three starters should cause big problems. But that didn’t happen. The play wasn’t dominant, but you’d take it.
The Panthers brain trust also seemed to really help out with some crucial 4th quarter play-calling. Those plays asked young guys like Evan Mathis and Will Montgomery to do some old-fashioned straight ahead run blocking for quick-to-the-hole rookie DeAngelo Williams. Those runs gashed the Saints and ate up clock. Then the Panthers cut to a classic counter-trey/student body right sweep that was blocked so well that DeShaun Foster scored from 43 yards out.
The Panthers face reeling Cleveland next week before going on the road to Baltimore and Cincinnati for two tough games. This stretch will see the Panthers either make further progress or stay on a .500 treadmill.
