Panthers roast Dolphins on Monday night, 45-21

The Carolina Panthers defeat the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 10, 45-21. Here are all the highlights, the game recap and the final score.

The Carolina Panthers beat the tar out of the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, 45-21. Carolina improves to 7-3 on the year, while Miami flounders to 4-5 on the season. While Carolina looks to be one of the five best teams in the NFC, Miami looks to be close to out of the AFC playoff picture.

This was a record-setting day for the Carolina offense. They had more yards in this one (548) than in any game in the 23-year history as an organization. Miami had no shot at containing the Carolina offense. Cam Newton and the Panthers’ ground game amassed 294 yards and two touchdowns. Newton would add another 254 with his arm.

The beatdown of the Dolphins in Charlotte was so bad that Newton’s backup Derek Anderson came in to close it out with three minutes left. Newton, of course, was taking pictures on the sidelines in celebration.

Carolina is still half a game back of the New Orleans Saints (7-3) in the NFC South race. However, the Saints have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Panthers. That being said, Carolina is 1.5 games up on the archrival Atlanta Falcons (5-4) and owns the tiebreaker over Atlanta.

As for Miami, this team essentially lollygagged through all four quarters. Yes, there was an awesome 66-yard touchdown run by running back Kenyan Drake. To be fair, Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler didn’t play all that badly. But that Dolphins defense is awful.

Carolina is good enough to win the NFC South should the Saints come off their seven-game winning streak. However, this team is not as dominant as the one that went to the Super Bowl two years ago. This is a 10, maybe an 11-win team, which is good enough to win a playoff game or two this January.

Miami needs to regroup massively this offseason. The locker room is a disaster and it wouldn’t be shocking to see half the team gone next year. It’s safe to say that we can cross Miami off as a serious threat to make the AFC playoffs as a wild-card team.

Three Stars

1. Cam Newton: Newton completed 21 of 35 passes for 254 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He would also have five carries for 95 yards.
2. Devin Funchess: Funchess had five catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
3. Luke Kuechly: Kuechly had six tackles, three solo and an interception of Cutler.

Highlights

Next Game

The Dolphins will play another NFC South team in Week 11. They will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. Keep in mind that this is the game that was postponed from Week 1 due to Hurricane Irma wreaking havoc in South Florida. This would otherwise be Miami’s bye week. Kickoff from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will be at 1:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 19. FOX will have the early afternoon telecast.

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Carolina will have to travel on the road for the Panthers’ Week 11 game. They will play the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford will be at 1:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 19. FOX will have the early afternoon telecast.