By David Rogers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were some big plays by Carolina, but three field goals by Eddie Piniero and a single TD scored by running back Christian McCaffrey were not enough in the Panthers’ matchup with San Francisco. The 49ers found gold in Bank of America Stadium, 37-15.
SFO was able to produce in a way the Panthers couldn’t: running the football. Jeff Wilson, Jr. led a trio of rushing 49ers, rolling up 120 yards on 17 carries and scoring one TD. Even with Christian McCaffrey carrying the ball 14 times, he only managed 54 yards rushing against San Francisco’s defense.
Recently returned to the red and gold garbed 49ers after some time wearing the green and white of the New York Jets, running back Tevin Coleman carried the ball 8 times for 23 yards, but got into the end zone on one of those touches. The 8-year veteran out of Indiana also proved valuable in San Francisco’s aerial attack, catching three passes for 44 yards. His first reception finished off the 49ers’ opening drive with a 9-yard TD pass on the right side from QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but none was bigger than Coleman’s 30-yard reception down the left sideline with 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The drive stalled in the face of Carolina’s early defensive pressure, but the long reception set up a 49-yard Robbie Gould field goal to put the visitors from California up, 10-0.
Carolina head coach Matt Ruhle admitted later that what followed was a “gut punch.” The Panthers had just started a promising drive at the end of the first half when a Baker Mayfield pass intended for McCaffrey was intercepted by Emmanuel Moseley and run back 41 yards for a “Pick 6” TD. Instead of the Panthers going into the locker room at intermission with a 10-10 tie or a manageable, 10-6 deficit had they scored a TD or field goal before the clock clicked down to zero, they went to halftime looking at a 17-3 disadvantage.
Carolina rookie running back and Virginia Tech alum Raheem Blackshear made things interesting coming out of halftime, collecting the kickoff at the Panthers’ 4 and returning it 45 yards to the Carolina 49. It was a stirring start to the Panthers’ first offensive possession and they took advantage seven plays later when McCaffrey carried the ball around the right side on 4th-and-1, getting more than first down yardage with a 19-yard TD run. McCaffrey’s 2-point conversion attempt from the one-yard line (after a San Francisco blocking penalty) failed, leaving the score at 17-9. Rhule explained later that if it had been 2 yards, they would not have attempted the 2-point conversion, but with only one yard, a back like McCaffrey, and the prospect of making it a one score game made it the right call.
While Carolina was kicking field goals and punting in the second half, San Francisco was scoring touchdowns, three of them in fact, vs. a single punt. The Panthers had the one McCaffrey TD and two Piniero field goals in the second half, but otherwise was turning the ball over on downs late in the game as they tried to catch up. It took just 51 seconds for San Francisco to score their final TD with 3:15 left on the clock when Carolina turned the ball over on downs, on their own 10-yard line.
Mayfield injured his ankle late in the first half, but bravely continued to play into the 4th quarter before being replaced by P.J. Walker. Sacked 4 times, Mayfield completed 20 of 36 pass attempts, with no TDs and the one “Pick 6” interception. Walker was 5 of 6 for 60 yards during his short time, but still getting valuable reps in case he is needed.
San Francisco’s Garoppolo completed 18 of 30 passes for 253 yards, 2 TDs and no interceptions. Overall, the 49ers’ offense was balanced, with Wilson, Coleman, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel combining for 27 carries and 155 yards rushing, including the two TDs.
A difference maker in this game was the success San Francisco had in converting on third down vs. the lack of success by the Panthers. The 49ers converted on third down 58.3 percent of their chances (7 of 12), while Carolina converted on only 20 percent of its opportunities (3 of 15).
San Francisco was able to get the ball into the red zone four times, producing points each time. Carolina, by comparison, struggled to get the ball into the end zone, producing points on only 1 of three opportunities after getting inside the 20-yard line.
Now 1-4 for the young season after having four home game opportunities, the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Carolina Panthers, with three out of four being on the road — and two of those being last season’s Super Bowl opponents — at Los Angeles (Oct. 16), at Atlanta (Oct. 30), and at Cincinnati (Nov. 6). The lone home game during that stretch is Oct. 23, vs. Tampa Bay.
