The Carolina Panthers came oh-so-close to completing an incredible comeback against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, falling just short by a score of 33-30 at Bank of America Stadium.
Making the loss even more painful for Panthers fans was the fact that the team simply ran out of time. With the ball on their own 25-yard line and 19 seconds left in the game, rookie quarterback Bryce Young, in the midst of arguably the best start of his career, completed a pair of passes downfield, the first to D.J. Chark and the second to Adam Thielen.
But in a costly turn of events, Thielen did not hand the ball over to the official quickly enough after hauling in the reception. As a result, Young was unable to spike the ball in time to stop the clock, putting an end to Carolina's comeback attempt.
It's hard for the Panthers, who are now 2—13 this season, to find any reasons for optimism after a loss like this. But the team can take solace in the fact that they scratched and clawed the whole way through the game, cutting the Packers' lead to single digits after going down by two scores multiple times in the game.
Plus, Young, the team's franchise QB, finally looked the part against Green Bay after struggling mightily throughout much of this season. It's undoubtedly another crushing loss for the Panthers, who had a golden opportunity to win their second straight contest.
But this team arguably showed more fight in Week 16 than in any other game this year. And that's something to be proud of.
