Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) in front of Tennessee Titans defenders Wesley Woodyard (59) and Avery Williamson (54) after Newton scored a touchdown on a 2-yard run against the Tennessee Titans in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. The Panthers won 27-10. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans interim head coach Mike Mularkey identified all the winning ingredients he hopes to develop for his team: strong defense, mistake-free offense and the ability to finish strong.
Unfortunately for the Titans, Mularkey saw those same traits with the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Tennessee stayed close with the undefeated Panthers through three quarters before Carolina pulled away for a 27-10 victory.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton completed his first 11 passes – the longest streak of his career – and the Panthers outscored the Titans 13-0 in the second half after sloppy finishes the past two weeks against Indianapolis and Green Bay.
“That’s a good football team that we went up against today,” Mularkey said after his first home game leading the team. “There’s a reason they are where they’re at with their record.”
The Panthers (9-0) held the Titans (2-7) to 11 first downs, including only three in the second half. Mularkey said the Panthers are “just efficient” as they hold the ball “and wear you down eventually” while avoiding mistakes.
“That is kind of what we would like to evolve into, but we’ve got to learn from these things,” he said.
For one half, the Titans followed that formula, avoiding turnovers while matching the Panthers’ clock-consuming drives. Tennessee moved 82 yards in 10 plays on a drive that ended with Dexter McCluster’s 25-yard touchdown run. It also had a nine-play drive to set up Ryan Succop’s 45-yard field goal.
Newton said he thought it could be a “trap game” against the Titans, who were coming off an overtime win at New Orleans.
“The stakes were high and they’re going to get higher each and every week,” he said. “We know we’re going to get teams’ best.”
Carolina led just 17-10 entering the final quarter.
“I think we threw punch for punch all the way up through the third quarter,” Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker said.
Newton ran for a touchdown and passed for another score for Carolina, which hosts Washington next Sunday.
The Titans committed two turnovers in the second half of their 10th straight home loss.
Tennessee rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota was 16-for-24 for 185 yards and an interception. The Titans had only one first down in the second half until their final possession, which ended with a catch and lost fumble by McCluster.
“We stuck with them for three quarters and just let it slip away,” McCluster said.
The Titans converted only 5 of 12 third downs.
“We knew coming in it was going to be a tough battle, but we left a lot of points out there,” Mariota said.
Newton completed 21 of 26 passes for 217 yards. His strong start included a 1-yard scoring pass to Ed Dickson early in the second quarter.
The Panthers padded the lead in the second half on Graham Gano’s field goals of 48 and 19 yards and Newton’s 2-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining.
Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart had 22 carries for 91 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Tight end Greg Olsen had eight catches – on eight targets – for 80 yards.
The Titans turned up the heat on their pass rush on Newton to open the second half. After having only one sack in the first half, they recorded sacks on three straight plays on Carolina’s first possession after halftime.
Carolina’s defense was even stronger, though. The Titans were held to 19 yards and one first down in the third quarter, and they never regained the momentum they showed early in the game when Mariota was effective as a runner and passer.
The Titans played with a short-handed secondary. Starting cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Jason McCourty were inactive due to injuries. Bidi Wreh-Wilson, who started for Cox, left early in the second half with a hamstring injury.
Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter was carted off the field with an apparent right ankle injury late in the game. Mularkey said he had no details about Hunter’s injury but said “It’s not good.”