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

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Top Five Crazy-But-True Carolina Panthers Stats

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. A quick glimpse at the numbers suggests the Carolina Panthers should focus on upgrading their defence next off-season.

But that’s not necessarily the team’s thinking as it begins to look ahead to 2012.

Although the Panthers rank 23rd in the NFL in total defence this year — as opposed to fifth on offence — general manager Marty Hurney and coach Ron Rivera believe the defence is much improved over the last month.

The Panthers (5-9) have held three of their last four opponents to fewer than 20 points entering Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay (4-10).

Combine those numbers with the fact that the Panthers get middle linebacker Jon Beason and four other potential starters back from injured reserve and a complete overhaul of the defence may not be as big of a priority as some might think.

“I think the defence will make great strides next year,” Hurney said. “I think we still have a good core group intact. You always look to add some pieces, but I think it’s encouraging what we’ve seen the last four weeks.”

Hurney and Rivera attribute the improvement on defence during that span to keeping the same starting lineup intact for most of that time.

“We really haven’t had the continuity we’d have liked to have from the beginning,” Rivera said.

That’s an understatement.

The Panthers have been decimated by injuries on defence and the starting lineup has been a revolving door.

It started when they lost veteran defensive tackle Ron Edwards in training camp, forcing them to start the season with a pair of rookies — Sione Fua and Terrell McClain — in the middle.

Beason torn his left Achilles tendon in the season opener and outside linebacker Thomas Davis re-tore his left ACL the following week against Green Bay, leaving the team void of its two defensive leaders.

As the season progressed, the injuries kept mounting.

Linebackers Thomas Williams and Jason Phillips landed on injured reserve after being handed starting roles. Later, McClain and Fua were lost to season-ending injuries, continuing the season-long trend.

Despite all of that, the Panthers were able to limit the playoff-bound Texans to one touchdown in a 28-13 win last Sunday.

“I think just by getting some of those guys back from injuries next year and with the experience some of these (backup) players have gained this season, it will naturally help us down the road,” Hurney said.

Hurney said the Panthers will look to upgrade in all three phases — offence, defence and special teams — through the draft and free agency, but doesn’t necessarily view one as more pressing than the others.

So even though the offence has made magnificent strides in going from last in the league in 2010 to fifth this year behind Cam Newton, Hurney said he won’t rule out adding pieces to help his rookie quarterback.

“I think you always want to keep your strengths strong,” he said.

Defensively, linebacker is the biggest area of concern because Dan Connor and Jordan Senn, who started the season as backups but have played well in starting roles, are unrestricted free agents. There’s also the unsettled the future of Davis, who’s due an $8 million signing bonus in March — one he likely won’t get after tearing his ACL three times in three years.

Getting Beason back should be huge.

Beason said Tuesday he’s ahead of schedule in his rehab and “without question” plans to participate in the team’s first minicamp next spring.

“I’ll have a helmet on come April.”

He started running recently in the pool, a big step in the recovery process.

That’s terrific news for the Panthers.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection and the defence’s unquestioned emotional leader on the field, Beason led the Panthers in tackles for four straight seasons prior to suffering a season-ending injury in the season opener against the Cardinals.

The defence was going to be geared around Beason, although that changed.

“Do we need (to add) a few free agents? I don’t know, maybe,” Beason said. “But to tell you truth, I’ve been impressed with the way guys have filled in. Guys who weren’t even here in camp. I think we’re improving this year, guys are learning the defence and that’s going to carry over to next season. On top of that, we get a lot of guys back from injuries, so I think the future is bright.”

Notes: The Panthers didn’t have to release an injury report Tuesday but Rivera said cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (left hamstring) and defensive end Charles Johnson (back) were held out of practice Tuesday.

The Associated Press

The Carolina Panthers have spent the majority of the 2011 season turning heads. Despite having a rookie head coach and quarterback, the Panthers took an offense that was the worst in the league in 2010 and turned it into one of the best. As great as this season has been for Carolina Panthers fans like me, the coming years look even brighter. There are plenty of reasons to expect a much better season record-wise in 2012. Here are five reasons why that future shines so brightly:

Another high draft pick or two to help strengthen the defense

Over the years, the Panthers have been pretty solid in picking defensive stars in the draft. Next season, there will be a good chance that we will pick high since we have struggled record-wise in 2011. With the offense pretty solid, we will likely focus on building up a defense once again.

A more experienced and confident Cam Newton

It almost seems impossible, but Cam Newton can definitely improve next season. He will have a full year in the offensive system, and the speed of the NFL will be much more natural to him. With that in his hip pocket, Cam can settle into his role as leader on this team.

A returning David Gettis

Brandon LaFell has been awesome this season, and I expect him to be even better in 2012. Still, David Gettis was the guy everyone wanted to see in 2011. He was knocked out with a knee injury and missed the entire season. In 2012, he will return to help the Panthers even more in the passing game. Can you imagine adding Gettis to this lineup? Yet another vertical threat is exactly what the doctor ordered.

A healthy team (God willing)

The Panthers have had an insane amount of players on IR this season including Jon Beason, Thomas Davis, Gettis, Thomas Williams, Ron Edwards, Mike Goodson, Jeff Otah and many more. No way the injury bug can hit that hard again in 2012. It simply has to get better, right?

A softer schedule

Playing in the NFC South, the Panthers are never going to have an easy schedule. Still, this years schedule was insane. The Panthers are bound to have it a little easier in 2012. Karma has to move over to their side on this one. One can certainly hope so, anyway.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers are placing both starting rookie defensive tackles — Terrell McClain and Sione Fua — on injured reserve, a person familiar with the decisions said on Tuesday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because moves have not been announced.

Fua and McClain were both third-round draft picks this year and have been starters since week one. However, Fua suffered a significant right hamstring strain prior to Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay and didn’t play. McClain sprained his left knee during the first half and did not return.

It’s unclear at this point if either player will need surgery.

They become the 13th and 14th players to join Carolina’s lengthy list of players on injured reserve — seven on each side of the ball. Defense, however, has been hit particularly hard. The Panthers lost starting defensive tackle Ron Edwards in training camp and then linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis the first two weeks of the season.

In addition, they’ve also added promising young linebacker Thomas Williams for the season in recent weeks.

McClain started all 12 games and had 20 tackles, one sack, four quarterback pressures and one fumble recovery.

McClain was selected 65th overall in this year’s draft while Fua was taken later in the third round at No. 97.

Fua, whose primary job at the nose tackle is taking up space in the middle for others to make plays, had 15 tackles with one quarterback pressure.

Overall, coach Ron Rivera has been extremely pleased with the play of both rookies, while acknowledging the Panthers have had to “take some punches like a little brother.” Still, Rivera believes the experience they have gained playing as rookies will be huge for the Panthers in coming years.

The injuries leave the Panthers with only two defensive tackles on the roster — Andre Neblett and Frank Kearse. Neblett is a second-year player. Kearse is a rookie.

Both Neblett and Kearse saw significant playing time in Carolina’s 38-19 win over Tampa Bay.

The Panthers also had to slide defensive ends Charles Johnson, Greg Hardy and Antwan Applewhite inside to defensive tackle to help out in certain packages against the Bucs.

The Panthers (4-8) host Atlanta (7-5) on Sunday.