Christmas came early for the red-hot Carolina Panthers offense in Week 16.

After starting the season 2-8, the young, injury-ravaged Carolina Panthers have caught fire late in the season, winning three of their last four games as they welcomed NFC South rival Tampa Bay to Bank of America Stadium on Christmas Eve. The smoking hot Carolina offense entered the game averaging 30.2 points over the last five games and must have viewed the struggling Tampa Bay defense as an early Christmas present. Santa made an early visit to Charlotte as the Panthers destroyed the Buccaneers 48-16.

On a personal note, I attended this game with my ten-year-old son and had a memorable day with him as we witnessed history being made as Cam Newton broke the rookie passing record and Brandon LaFell scored the longest touchdown in Panthers history. You can read my more personal, less analytical account by clicking here if you are so inclined.

While the NFL post game shows cover the scoring plays, I look for the less visible but equally crucial plays that sustain drives, spring the big plays, or change momentum. Here is my analysis, as a Panthers fan, of these key plays, both good (“The Gamers”) and bad (“The Lamers”) that took place during Carolina’s Week 15 road victory against the Houston Texans.

1st Quarter

10:17, Jordan Gross, T – Gamer. Score tied 0-0, CAR ball on TB 8. On 1st-and-Goal Cam Newton lined up under center and handed off to DeAngelo Williams to the left. LT Jordan Gross got into the second level of the defense on his block, forcing LB Geno Hayes to swing wide and out of position, then Gross sealed LB Quincy Black. Gross eliminated two linebackers as DeAngelo went eight yards untouched into the end zone, giving Carolina an early 7-0 lead.

10:01, James Anderson, LB – Gamer. Panthers lead 7-0, TB ball on TB 17. On the Bucs first play from scrimmage, QB Josh Freeman and RB LeGarrette Blount had a bad handoff exchange and fumbled. LB James Anderson shot through the crowd and recovered the fumble, setting up the Panthers for a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

6:07, Greg Hardy, DE – Lamer. Panthers lead 10-0, TB ball on TB 40. Tampa Bay faced a 3rd-and-2. DE Greg Hardy tried to anticipate the snap but instead jumped offside, giving the Bucs a first down on a drive that ended with a Tampa Bay touchdown, trimming the Panthers lead to 10-7.

2nd Quarter

13:20, Jonathan Stewart, RB and Steve Smith, WR – Gamers. Panthers lead 10-7, CAR ball on CAR 9. On 2nd-and-9 Cam Newton lined up in shotgun near his own end zone with Jonathan Stewart to his left. Tampa Bay blitzed safety Sean Jones up the middle and Stewart picked up the blitz with a solid block, allowing Newton to stand in the pocket. Newton fired a deep slant to Brandon LaFell. LaFell made a great leaping catch and began sprinting toward the end zone with three Bucs defenders in pursuit – Ronde Barber, Tanard Jackson, and E.J. Biggers. Fellow WR Steve Smith became a blocker for LaFell, cutting in front of Barber and Jackson, causing them to slow down, then Smith put a block on Biggers. Brandon LaFell took the ball 91-yards to the house for the longest touchdown in Panthers history and a 17-7 Panthers lead.

6:21, Antwan Applewhite, DE – Gamer. Panthers lead 17-7, TB ball on CAR 27. Tampa Bay faced a 3rd-and-7 nearing the red zone. Josh Freeman lined up in shotgun and dropped to pass. DE Antwan Applewhite faked a rush then dropped into zone coverage in the middle. Freeman was nearly sacked but managed to flip a pass to Sammie Stroughter. Applewhite closed on Stroughter and dropped him after a three-yard gain, forcing a fourth down and a Tampa Bay field goal, trimming the Carolina lead to 17-10.

4:31, Jordan Gross, T and Steve Smith, WR – Gamers. Panthers lead 17-10, CAR ball on CAR 34. On second down Cam Newton lined up in shotgun with Jonathan Stewart to his right. Newton handed off to Stewart who went off left tackle where Jordan Gross forced DE Adrian Clayborn wide, opening a large hole. Steve Smith was lined up wide left and sustained a strong block on E.J. Biggers, eliminating him from the play as Stewart broke a tackle and rumbled 32 yards. The long play was key in setting up the Panthers for a field goal to end the half, pushing the Carolina lead to 20-10.

3rd Quarter

12:01, Brandon LaFell, WR – Gamer. Panthers lead 20-10, CAR ball on TB 22. Nearing the red zone Cam Newton lined up in a short shotgun with Jonathan Stewart to his right and DeAngelo Williams behind him. Newton faked a handoff to Stewart and ran an option right with Williams. After making a blitzing safety commit, Newton lateraled to Williams down the right sideline. Brandon LaFell was split wide right and sustained a solid block on the cornerback, creating a lane for Williams to run untouched for a 22-yard touchdown and a 27-10 Panthers lead.

7:16, Andre Neblett, DT – Gamer. Panthers lead 27-10, TB ball on TB 48. On 1st-and-10 the Bucs got tricky as Josh Freeman handed off to WR Michael Spurlock who was coming in motion from right to left. Spurlock threw the ball back to Freeman who then hit Kellen Winslow down the right sideline. Winslow leaped and hurdled safety Sherrod Martin but Winslow fumbled. The fumble was recovered 26-yards down field by a hustling DT Andre Neblett who never gave up on pursuing the play. The Panthers scored on the next drive on a screen pass to Jonathan Stewart, pushing the lead to 34-10.

1:19, Greg Hardy, DE and Andre Neblett DT. Panthers lead 34-10, TB ball on CAR 44. Facing 4th-and-1, Tampa Bay went for it. Josh Freeman lined up in shotgun. DE Greg Hardy executed a nice spin move, shedding his blocker and collapsing the pocket, forcing Freeman to his left. DT Andre Neblett swung wide and pressured Freeman, forcing an incompletion and a Tampa Bay turnover on downs.

:33, Cam Newton, QB – Gamer. Panthers lead 34-10, CAR ball on TB 49. On 2nd-and-4 Cam Newton lined up in shotgun with Jonathan Stewart to his left. Newton faked the handoff to Stewart and ran through a gaping hole off the right guard. Cam absolutely juked safety Tanard Jackson in the open field and Jackson failed to even get a hand on Newton. CB E.J. Bigger had a good angle and hit Newton at the 10-yard line, but Cam delivered a strong stiff arm and dragged Biggers into the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown and 41-10 Panthers lead.

:17, Jason Williams, LB – Gamer. Panthers lead 41-10, TB Kickoff Return. Special teamer Jason Williams flew down the field to cover a Carolina kickoff and nailed kick returner Sammie Stroughter with a hard tackle about ten yards out of the end zone. Williams forced Stroughter to fumble and the ball was recovered by Carolina deep within Tampa Bay territory, setting up a Jeremy Shockey touchdown two plays later as the Panthers pushed the lead to 48-10.

4th Quarter

11:11, Greg Hardy, DE – Gamer. Panthers lead 48-16, TB ball for Two-Point Conversion. After a Josh Freeman 1-yard touchdown lunge, Tampa Bay lined up for a two-point conversion. Freeman went shotgun, took the snap, and looked to his right. DE Greg Hardy blew past tackle Donald Penn and came from Freeman’s blindside, strip-sacking the Bucs quarterbak and preventing the two-point conversion.

4:33, Jason Shirley, DT – Gamer. Panthers lead 48-16, TB ball on CAR 36. With the game all but over, Josh Freeman dropped back to pass. DT Jason Shirley executed a nice spin move, shedding his blocker and leaving the offensive lineman on the ground. Shirley sacked Freeman and continues to make the most of his opportunity to prove himself in light of the rash of injuries to the defensive line.

The surging Carolina Panthers now stand at 6-9 and have won four of their last five, giving fans an early Christmas present. Just as children often dream about Christmas presents, Panthers fans like me are dreaming about a healthy squad next year, with visions of Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, Ron Edwards, Jeff Otah, Geoff Schwartz, and David Gettis dancing in our heads.

If the Panthers current momentum can be coupled with better health in 2012, look for the Panthers to make a become one of the surprise teams next season.

Andrew Sweat is a North Carolina resident and loyal Panthers fan. More from this author:

‘Gamers & Lamers’ – Week 15 vs. Houston

The Curse of the Carolina Panthers DT Strikes Again!

Top Five Crazy-But-True Carolina Panthers Stats

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –

Carolina Panthers fans had better enjoy Rob Chudzinski while they have him.

He won’t be there for long.

Carolina’s first-year offensive coordinator accompanied new head coach Ron Rivera from San Diego, where Chudzinski tutored a group of tight ends that included Antonio Gates.

Chudzinski’s impact has been immediate, stamping him as an intriguing candidate for an NFL head coaching job in 2012.

A year after finishing last in the league in total offense, the Panthers rank No. 5 heading into today’s matchup against the Buccaneers.

Chudzinski has tailored his attack around the impressive skill set of rookie quarterback Cam Newton and Carolina has averaged 30 points per game in the past five weeks.

“He does an awesome job,” veteran left tackle Jordan Gross said of Chudzinski, a former tight end at the University of Miami and a long-time Hurricane assistant. “He challenges us constantly.

“I’m coming into our meetings in December and I’m still writing pages and pages of notes because of new stuff he’s installing. It’s been a lot of fun watching him do his thing.”

When Chudzinski served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator in 2007, the Browns scored 402 points and sent four offensive players to the Pro Bowl – quarterback Derek Anderson, wide receiver Braylon Edwards, tackle Joe Thomas and tight end Kellen Winslow, who is finishing his third season in Tampa.

“Chud’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever been around,” said Winslow. “His offensive creativity and mindset are outstanding and he’s got talent around him in Carolina. The guy’s top-notch.”

As Bucs fans can attest, Chudzinski’s innovation knows no bounds. In Carolina’s 38-19 victory in Tampa three weeks ago, Newton caught a 27-yard pass from wide receiver Legedu Naanee to highlight a scoring drive.

Last week, in a 28-13 triumph at Houston, Chudzinski burned the NFL’s second-ranked defense with a trick play inspired by the 1994 movie “Little Giants.”

Lined up in the shotgun, Newton cradled the ball between the legs of fullback Richie Brockel before he began rolling to the right. With the Texans defense flowing toward Newton, Brockel scampered to his left and went into the end zone untouched from seven yards out.

“Rob’s an innovative guy,” Rivera said, “and the nice thing is we have the tools, the kind of players you need to run this offense.”

A year ago, Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson was a hot commodity.

Josh Freeman was finishing up a stellar season in his first full year as a starting quarterback, rookie wide receiver Mike Williams was catching touchdown passes every week and running back LeGarrette Blount was vaulting over defenders as Tampa Bay won 10 games.

Now, Olson is dealing with an eight-game losing streak and Chudzinski looms as the NFC South coordinator on the rise.

“I wasn’t really sure about this offense,” Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams said. “In training camp, some things worked and some didn’t. But Chud is putting us in great situations to succeed.”

Chudzinski’s name will come up often in the next few weeks as an array of NFL head coaching vacancies opens up. Who wouldn’t be interested in a crafty coordinator who has helped Carolina lead the league with 80 plays that have gained 20 yards or more?

“I love challenges and the NFL is a challenge every year,” Chudzinski said when arriving in Carolina. “We will be an attacking-style offense and you have to make big plays.”

For the 43-year-old Chudzinski, the biggest play lies just ahead.

HOUSTON — As the Carolina Panthers began to fritter away another double-digit lead in the second half Sunday, folks on their couches around the Carolinas were cringing.

Another avalanche was rumbling in the hills. The Panthers had been up 17 points by Detroit and 16 on Atlanta and had lost both of those games. Those memories were painful and fresh.

Now a 21-0 Carolina lead against the playoff-bound Texans had been sliced to 21-13. The third quarter had taken about three years to play.

Nearly 14 minutes remained and the Panthers seemed like they were behind even though they actually were ahead by eight points and 80 yards from the Houston end zone.

You remember how it felt if you were watching. Somebody at your house had to have said, “Here we go again,” to somebody else.

But then Carolina did something different. Something grown-up. Something right.

The Panthers clinched a game with two gorgeous fourth-quarter drives. The first went 80 yards in seven plays for a touchdown. The second ran the final 7 minutes, 25 seconds off the clock – five first downs worth of coffin nails hammered down in a hostile stadium against a team that had won seven games in a row.

This was a first in a couple of ways for the 2011 Panthers: The first win against a team that is actually very good. And the first win in which the Panthers (5-9) finished a game like a big-boy NFL team should.

“We had a lot of guys grit their teeth,” quarterback Cam Newton said, “and say they’re fed up and execute and make first downs and move the football … We knew it couldn’t happen again. So we just consistently kept fighting and kept fighting and had a successful drive and another one to finish the game off.”

The Panthers had felt the momentum shift on the sideline, as their harvest from a near-perfect first half started to wither away.

“In the flow of a normal football game,” offensive tackle Jordan Gross said, “there’s going to be a stretch where maybe you’re struggling on offense or defense. You’ve got to get through that. And that’s what we haven’t been able to do much this year – overcome a little lull in the action. I was going up and down the sideline telling everybody, ‘Hey, we’re still up eight,’ or whatever it was. Because a lot of times you get that momentum change, even though you’ve got the lead, it doesn’t feel like it. I said we’ve got to play like we’re playing with a lead.”

I thought the biggest play in the 80-yard, fourth-quarter TD drive was a 13-yard run by Newton. It didn’t have the trickery of a 26-yard pass to Jeremy Shockey or the dazzle of DeAngelo Williams’ 24-yard touchdown run up the middle, but it gave the Panthers their initial first down of the march. You should have heard how quiet Reliant Stadium got when Newton ran for those 13 yards.

That run broke the gate open. The Texans (10-4) – let’s not forget, the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense entering the game – literally couldn’t stop Carolina for the game’s last 14 minutes. The Panthers had 148 yards and nine first downs on those final two drives.

“Some people may say we’re not playing for anything,” wide receiver Steve Smith said. “What’s the point? Shut it down. But we’re playing for the next three Sundays.”

AP Photo/Bob Leverone

In this Dec. 11, 2011 photo, Carolina Panthers’ Olindo Mare (10) watches his field goal attempt sail wide against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter of the Falcons’ 31-23 win in an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C. Head coach Ron Rivera said the team will look into bringing in kickers for tryouts after veteran Mare missed a crucial field goal in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta. Mare just signed a four-year, $12 million deal with the Panthers this past offseason.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera says he won’t decide until Saturday if Olindo Mare will remain the team’s kicker this Sunday against the Houston Texans or if he’ll hand the job over to rookie Adi Kunalic.

The Panthers signed Kunalic on Tuesday after Mare missed a 36-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter that would have given his team a 26-24 lead against Atlanta. The Panthers went on to lose the game 31-23.

Rivera says Mare “kicked the ball well” this week.

He also says Kunalic is a little sore from the extra kicking.

Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross is expected to play this week after missing the Atlanta game with a right ankle injury. The only Panther unlikely to play is cornerback Darius Butler (concussion).

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera says he won’t decide until Saturday if Olindo Mare will remain the team’s kicker this Sunday against the Houston Texans or if he’ll hand the job over to rookie Adi Kunalic.

The Panthers signed Kunalic on Tuesday after Mare missed a 36-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter that would have given his team a 26-24 lead against Atlanta. The Panthers went on to lose the game 31-23.

Rivera says Mare “kicked the ball well” this week.

He also says Kunalic is a little sore from the extra kicking.

Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross is expected to play this week after missing the Atlanta game with a right ankle injury. The only Panther unlikely to play is cornerback Darius Butler (concussion).

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.