Carolina Panthers will keep no-huddle as ‘change of pace’

The Carolina Panthers enjoyed great success with the no-huddle offense in their win over the Chicago Bears Sunday, but that doesn’t mean they’re going all-in with it.

After riding a no-huddle attack to two touchdown drives in a big come-from-behind win Sunday over the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers don’t plan to make a switch to run it more often moving forward.

Coach Ron Rivera told reporters, via the Black and Blue Review, he wants to keep the no-huddle as a tool in the toolbox rather than a primary system.

"“When things seem to be going 100 mph, they seem to slow down even better for [Cam Newton],” Rivera said. “I think part of it is not just about the flow but the rhythm of the game, too. You come out and you don’t go no huddle, you’re very methodical, you drive down, you put points on the board. Well, hey, let’s do that again. Take your time, keep the clock going, keep your defense off the field. You have to always consider those things.”"

It seems that a guy nicknamed “Riverboat Ron” would embrace the no-huddle, particularly when Newton seems to thrive in it, but it’s a reminder that Rivera is, at his roots, a defensive guy. He was a defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers before he was hired by the Panthers.

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula said the key for the Panthers’ attack is balance.

"“The bottom line, you have to have a good mix. I don’t think you want to go to it the whole game. If we weren’t good at it, we probably wouldn’t be doing it at all. Each week you decide it and how much you want to use it. I don’t think we’ll ever just do it the whole game.“If we thought there was a huge difference, yeah, we’d be doing it 100 percent. But like I said, it’s good to have balance.”"

Carolina trailed 21-7 early in the second quarter and 24-21 late in the third period before coming back for a 31-24 win Sunday.