Mare's miss gives Vikings 24-21 win over Panthers

CHARLOTTE -- Two weeks.

That's how long the Panthers will have to digest Sunday's loss – a 24-21 defeat to Minnesota that was sealed when Olindo Mare pulled a 31-yard field goal wide left with 26 seconds left to suck the air out of Bank of America Stadium.

The Panthers (2-6) dropped the middle game of their three-game homestand, which concludes Nov. 13 against Tennessee following the bye week.

That's 14 days for Panthers receiver Steve Smith to think about his holding penalty on the final drive, for the offense to mull over three three-and-outs in the second half, and for the defense to consider how it could have stopped the Vikings (2-6) on their game-winning field goal drive.

But no one will relive the game more than Mare, the free agent who was signed in July after original Panther John Kasay was released. Mare was 13 of 15 on field goals entering the game, and has made 85.6 percent of his kicks between 30-39 yards over his 14-year career.

“I haven't seen it, but I thought I hit it well. But as we all know, it wasn't that well,” Mare said. “No matter how good I feel like I hit it, it obviously wasn't good enough. It's disappointing. It's something you wish you could get another chance.”

Panthers' players said the game shouldn't have come down to a kick. Trailing by a field goal with less than two minutes remaining, the Panthers converted a fourth-and-15 when Newton hit Brandon LaFell on a crossing route for 44 yards to the Vikings' 21-yard line.

On third-and-3, Newton ran around right end and helicoptered inside the 5 for an apparent first down. But Smith was called for holding linebacker Chad Greenway downfield, backing up the Panthers to the 18. Smith caught a 5-yard pass on third-and-7, and Mare trotted out for the field goal.

“If the ref says it's holding, I can sit here and say this and that. But at the end of the day he's the guy with the flag and he calls it,” Smith said. “I got a few texts already saying in the HD it didn't look too bad. But for a 70-year-old man gimping down the field, I guess that's what he saw.”

Before the final drive, the Panthers had been stoned through much of the third and fourth quarters by a Vikings defense that was 29th in the league against the pass.

After Newton's third touchdown pass put the Panthers up 21-14 early in the second half, the Panthers' next three possessions produced 25 yards and three punts. Both Newton and left tackle Jordan Gross said the Vikings did not do anything different defensively.

“Just execution. Running the football, passing the football,” Newton said. “I think we just hit a brick wall.”

The Panthers had a similar second-half stretch in a Week 6 loss at Atlanta when they had two three-and-outs and a Newton interception.

“That's a huge thing for our defense. When we go three-and-out, they don't get any breaks,” Gross said. “Their offense really controlled the clock the second half, and that had a lot to say about the final result.”

While the Panthers faltered, Minnesota put together a pair of long scoring drives against a tiring Panthers' defense that lost two linebackers to injuries. The Vikings' game-winning drive covered 13 plays, 72 yards and consumed more than seven minutes.

They converted only one third down on the drive. But it was a big one – a 12-yard pass on third-and-7 from rookie Christian Ponder to Percy Harvin, who broke Chris Gamble's tackle attempt to keep the drive going.

Ryan Longwell provided the winning margin with his 31-yard field goal with 2:43 left.

Minnesota held a seven-minute edge in time of possession in the final quarter.

“We probably were a little winded. You can feel it,” linebacker James Anderson said. “You've just got to dig deep and fight. It's the fourth quarter. You've got to grind it out.”

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier praised his defense for holding the league's fifth-ranked offense in check. While Newton threw for 290 yards and a career-high three scores, he also lost his first two fumbles of the season, which Minnesota turned into 14 points. But the Panthers might have overcome those if not for stalling in the second half.

“Whoever thinks this game came down to the last possession is a fool. Offensively, defensively, we had opportunities. We just did not finish it off,” Newton staid. “Three-and-outs are unacceptable. If you expect to win games and you're going three-and-out and you call yourself a high-powered offense, that's not it.”

Making his second start, Ponder was sacked four times but had no turnovers. He passed for 236 yards and a touchdown, while Peterson accounted for 162 total yards and two touchdowns.

After the game, Gross spoke to several Vikings' players about how both teams are in a similar situation, rebuilding with a new coach and a rookie quarterback. But knowing the Panthers remain a work in progress will not make the next two weeks any easier.

“It's tough. We're going to have two weeks to think about it,” Gross said. “But we need this bye. Guys need to get away from each other, get out of the building and just take a deep breath. Because it's been full speed since the end of July. Coaches, players, everybody needs some time away.”