Cam Newton to Greg Olsen for 78-yard touchdown (Video)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton chucks a brilliant 78-yard touchdown pass to his favorite target in tight end Greg Olsen to go up on San Francisco.

The Carolina Panthers were lacking an offensive spark early in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. Carolina did manage to get into the end zone on a fumble recovery, but had not been able to score on San Francisco with their offense.

Down 10-7 at 9:52 remaining in the second quarter, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton receives the snap in shotgun before hurling a fantastic 78-yard strike to his favorite receiving option tight end Greg Olsen for the go-ahead touchdown.

Newton had great protection from his offensive line to allow the passing pattern to develop. Olsen was able to shake to members of the 49ers secondary for the longest touchdown catch of his NFL career. With kicker Graham Gano’s successful point after attempt, the Panthers would go up 14-10 on the 49ers in the second quarter.

That was a great play call by Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Olsen exploited the 49ers defensive backfield and went into the end zone untouched on this impressive score.

Carolina needs to win on Sunday against San Francisco to avoid falling to 0-2 on the year. Keep in mind that the Panthers went 15-1 en route to a trip to Super Bowl 50 last season. The Panthers already lost their first game of the season 10 days ago to the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium.

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San Francisco’s offense may be improved under new head coach Chip Kelly, but quarterback Blaine Gabbert has never shown that he can carry an NFL offense should a game go to a shoot out. The Panthers are lucky to have a roster that can win both defensive struggles and high-octane shootouts. Newton to Olsen might be a matchup issue all afternoon for the 49ers.