A fourth quarter collapse. Grading the Panthers’ 28-27 loss to the Vikings

This should be a story about Jeremy Chinn and the impressive lead he gave the Carolina Panthers.

Instead, poor play calling and an inability to get off the field cost the Panthers a victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Panthers were unable to solve a season-long problem of struggling to put teams away until the very end of games. And this time it proved costly. Despite Chinn scoring back-to-back touchdowns on defense, the Panthers defense folded at the end of the game and lost to the Vikings, 28-27.

PASSING OFFENSE

C: Teddy Bridgewater’s first-half performance was one to forget. On the Panthers’ second offensive drive, he threw a red-zone interception after running back Mike Davis stopped on a route. Prior to halftime, Bridgewater had wide receiver DJ Moore open for a touchdown but overthrew him.

Despite coming into the game second in the league in completion percentage (72.1%), he struggled in the first half, completing 7-of-15 passes (45%). But in the second half, Bridgewater improved. He finished the game 19/36 for 267 yards.

Robby Anderson had his first big game in weeks, including breaking off for a 41-yard touchdown in the first half with much of the Vikings’ attention going to the Panthers receivers on the other side of the field. It was his first touchdown since Week 1. He also caught a 34-yard pass in the fourth quarter but dropped what would have been an easy first down just a couple plays later.

Bridgewater and his receivers just never got going consistently. There were good moments and then there were drops and overthrows. The passing game and the red zone (0-3) continues to be a work in progress.

RUSHING OFFENSE

C+: Offensive coordinator Joe Brady did a good job of getting Davis, undrafted rookie from Minnesota Rodney Smith and Trenton Cannon involved early. The running backs averaged more than 8 yards per carry at one point, but in the second quarter the Vikings started defending the run better, and Carolina combined for 16 yards on 10 carries. And in the second half, the Panthers seemed to give up on running the football consistently.

Bridgewater had some nice scrambles of his own in the third quarter, but the Panthers took too long to go back to the running game and put in the trio of backs after getting the lead courtesy of the defense.

PASSING DEFENSE

C: Hello, Chinn.

The Panthers rookie scored the team’s first defensive touchdown of the year after a strip-sack by tackle Zach Kerr on Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Chinn scored another fumble-return touchdown on the very next play and also finished the game with a team-high 13 tackles.

Minnesota’s top wide receiver, Adam Thielen, was on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and Cousins was clearly missing his favorite weapon. In the first half, running back Dalvin Cook was Minnesota’s leading receiver, and Troy Pride did a solid job covering fellow rookie Justin Jefferson, including in the end zone on the Vikings’ final drive in the first half. Cornerback Rasul Douglas gave up a touchdown to Jefferson in the first quarter and both Pride and rookie Stan Thomas-Oliver were on the wrong end of passing touchdowns.

But it was the final drive of the game that bumps down this grade. The inability to get pressure at the end lost the game. Cousins completed 11 consecutive passes in the fourth quarter and moved down the field rapidly. 75 yards to win the game with no timeouts. It was just too easy.

RUSHING DEFENSE

B: Cook was contained in the first half, rushing for 35 yards on 11 carries. Linebacker Jermaine Carter was all over the field, and the Panthers didn’t allow the explosive back to break off a significant gain.

After returning to the game following an ankle injury suffered on Chinn’s second touchdown, Cook started taking off. He gained 26 yards on seven carries and helped Cousins put together some solid drives.

But Cook was held to just 61 rushing yards, his second-fewest of the season. Along with Chinn’s performance, that was one of the more impressive parts of the game for the Panthers.

SPECIAL TEAMS

D: Going into the final minutes of the game, this grade was a D-minus. But then the Vikings’ Chad Beebe dropped a punt that went through his hands, giving the Panthers the ball at the 9-yard line with just over two minutes remaining.

Two special teams penalties in the first half and a blocked 28-yard field goal didn’t help the Panthers’ cause to start the game.

And then Myles Hartsfield’s jump on the dropped punt seemingly saved the Panthers. Not quite.

Joey Slye missed a potential game-winning, 54-yard field goal at the end of the game. He is now 1 for 6 from 50-plus on the year including two historic attempts. Enough said.

COACHING

F: The Panthers abandoned the run too early in the second half. And Brady had some strange play-calling in the fourth quarter that gave the Vikings a chance to win the game. It’s the poor play-calling and time management at the end of the fourth quarter that earns the coaching staff a failing grade. Head coach Matt Rhule even put this one on the coaching staff. Throwing on third down was the wrong decision. Taking time off the clock was the most important thing in that situation, and the Panthers were unable to do so.

On the final Vikings drive of the game, the Panthers let them move down the field with ease.

There were some positives. The Panthers defense pressured Cousins, and Chinn’s performance was helped by plays from his teammates. The defensive coaches have found ways to use the hybrid defender successfully and put him in positions to succeed.

But final few minutes were unacceptable.