CHARLOTTE - It was the perfect day for special teams.
For the first time ever, Carolina's special teams unit was introduced out of the tunnel and by the end of the day they were carried off the field.
Thanks to NFL Game Pass, Panthers fans now get to watch the full game replay of Carolina's 33-31 win over the New York Giants in Week 5 of the 2018 season. Click the above link to watch on Panthers.com or view it here on YouTube:
The game featured a little bit of everything...a muffed punt recovered for a touchdown by Colin Jones...Curtis Samuel's first action in over 11 months and his first career touchdown...the return of Thomas Davis from suspension and the debut of Eric Reid for Carolina...a wide receiver TD pass from Odell Beckham, Jr. to Saquon Barkley.
And, of course, the final game-winning drive and 63-yard field goal that put Graham Gano into the history books. It was the longest field goal in Panthers history and it tied for the longest game-winning field goal in NFL history with the late Tom Dempsey.
The Spanish radio call exclaiming "Ganolo Gano" was a mix of pure ecstasy and fortunate word play that Gano's last name literally translates to a form of "win" in Spanish. It spawned t-shirts and had over two million views on Twitter:
This piece after the game from Max Henson illustrated the nerves of Panthers from the stands down onto the sidelines. As Carolina raced against the clock in the final drive, many thought that with the ball only on the 46-yard line of the Giants that the Panthers had to get closer.
But special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn had told head coach Ron Rivera that Gano could hit from 65 yards going this direction. So, after picking up a first down on third and one, the Panthers clocked the ball, threw a long pass out of bounds and then sent out the field goal unit with six seconds remaining.
As Gano and holder Michael Palardy said in an interview after the game, their main concern was getting set and snapping the ball with the play clock winding down:
After the game, Gano and his teammates were mobbed in the locker room as he received the game ball.
