The Carolina Panthers lost 27-22 to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale, falling to 0-2 on the season. The team also faces uncertainty regarding injuries to starting offensive linemen, with further tests scheduled for Monday in Charlotte.
Despite the defeat, the Panthers highlighted a rare achievement late in the game by recovering an onside kick in the fourth quarter. This play gave them an opportunity for a potential game-winning drive after overcoming a 27-3 deficit with improved defense and three unanswered touchdowns.
Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen explained the difficulty of successfully executing an onside kick under current NFL rules. “Around 6 percent,” Jansen said when asked about the odds of converting such a play. “It’s pretty small, especially with the new rules; it’s a disaster.” He noted that teams must now declare their intent to attempt an onside kick, removing any element of surprise.
During Sunday’s game, punter Sam Martin delivered a bouncing ball toward Arizona’s front line. The ball deflected off a Cardinals player before Panthers special teamer and linebacker Claudin Cherelus dove onto it. “Just give us a chance, secure the ball,” Cherelus said. “I had it for a second, I landed on it, but it squirted out, but thank God my teammates run to the ball, so Demani came to help clean it up.” Second-year safety Demani Richardson ultimately secured possession for Carolina.
Richardson reflected on how close they came despite being far behind earlier in the contest: “It’s crazy because we’re down by so much and we had a chance at the end,” he said. “So it was just still just like that, knowing this team had a fight.”
While Richardson said they practice recovering onside kicks weekly, Cherelus admitted opportunities are limited: “Getting the bounce, it’s tough because you really, honestly don’t get many opportunities to work on it,” he said.
Head coach Dave Canales acknowledged he did not know the exact probability of success for such plays but appreciated his team’s effort. “I just know we were going to try every possible thing we could,” Canales said. “We had a bunch of nice plays that we practiced. And offensively, defensively, it was our core calls to execute, which they did a good job of at the end, and gave us a chance.”
The Panthers will look to build on these small successes as they continue their season.
