Panthers vs Broncos: Recap and reaction

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 08: Devon Key #26 of the Denver Broncos intercepts a pass during the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on November 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Carolina Panthers battled, but some bad penalties and bad luck resulted in a loss to the Denver Broncos, 26-20. First QuarterThe Broncos got the ball first and immediately marched it down the field. They ran the kickoff out past the 40 then took two deep shots. Neither connected, but the second drew a rather ticky tack pass interference call. Jonah Coleman broke off a few nice runs to quickly put the Broncos in goal to go. The defense stepped up there. They stopped a first down run then got pressure on Bo Nix on second and third down to force incompletions and a fourth down field goal.The Panthers offense did nothing outside of a first play completion to Mitchell Evans. The Broncos moved the ball quickly once again. A couple of chunk plays got them into Panthers territory. Lee Hunter had a couple of nice plays, but another pass interference extended the drive. A few plays later, Bo Nix hit Courtland Sutton on a quick slant for a touchdown.The Panthers went three and out after a near miss to Tetairoa McMillan and a bad route by Darren Waller. After the punt, Marco Wilson got called for a taunting penalty for standing over Jaylen Waddle after an incomplete pass. The quarter ended after Bobby Brown led a group of Panthers in the backfield for a tackle for loss.Second QuarterThe defense got off the field on third and long to get the ball back. The offense finally moved into Denver territory with a completion to McMillan and a couple of good runs by Chuba Hubbard, the second of which drew a late hit at the end. The drive fell apart after that. Young was nearly picked by Riley Moss, then three players jumped early for a false start. They ultimately settled for a 43 yard field goal, which Ryan Fitzgerald pretty much shanked out to the right.The Broncos moved the ball into Panthers territory, aided by a pass interference by Marco Wilson, his fourth penalty of the game. He was bailed out this time though. A couple plays later, Corey Thornton skied to undercut a receiver for an interception.The momentum shifted a little bit from that point. Bryce Young picked up a 3rd and 15 with a deep comeback to McMillan. He found Darren Waller a few times over the middle to continue the march into Broncos territory. The offense was faced with a 4th and 1, and Chuba Hubbard broke free off the left side for a big game. A few plays later, Young found Tommy Tremble in the backfield corner of the end zone for a toe tapping touchdown.Ryan Fitzgerald actually made the extra point this time, but he followed that by kicking the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. That gave the Broncos a short field to manage a quick two minute drill into field goal range to make it 13-7 heading into the half.Third QuarterThe Panthers got the ball first out of the half and carried their momentum from the end of the first half. Young found Waller out of the gate for a big gain. A nine yard run from Hubbard and a nine yard catch by Evans put the Panthers on the edge of the red zone. After a couple of ineffective plays, Young found Waller deep over the middle for a touchdown to put the Panthers up 14-13.The defense kept the good vibes rolling. They stuffed a couple of early down runs to force the Broncos into an obvious passing situation. They got quick pressure, which forced Nix to step up into the waiting arms of Pat Jones.Young continued to pick apart the Broncos defense with more help from Darren Waller. He also had a 15 yard scramble to help the drive along. The Panthers got inside the five. Young tried to find Tremble in the end zone, but the ball was batted away. It somehow landed on Tremble’s arm on the way to the ground and was caught by a Broncos defender for the unlikeliest of interceptions. And it probably should have been a defensive pass interference as well.Fourth QuarterThe Panthers committed a couple of penalties to help the Broncos start their drive, and they were followed by a series of easy short to intermediate completions from Bo Nix. It was a 14 play drive and was capped off by Jonah Coleman running to the outside and stiff arming Corey Thornton to the ground on his way to a go ahead touchdown.The offense couldn’t muster a response. A run went nowhere, a pass was incomplete, then Monroe Freeling was blown by for a rapid sack to end the drive with haste.The defense looked like they got off the field after a few plays, but Corey Thornton was called for a pass interference on third down, and it was another pretty soft call. A few plays later, Nix found Pat Bryant completely uncovered for an easy 26 yard touchdown.Bryce Young led a march down the field. He connected with Chuba Hubbard on a fourth down slant for a clutch conversion to keep the drive alive. Things got bogged down from there, and the Panthers ended up in a 4th and 15 spot. Young found space, stepped up, and hit John Metchie down the field to pick up the first down. Young was hit in the head in the process, which added a few extra yards to put the Panthers inside the ten. On the next play, Young found McMillan open on a slant for a touchdown to make it a one score game. The defense needed a quick stop. They stopped Jonah Coleman on first down. On second, Coleman dropped a pitch and the ball went bouncing back towards the goal line. Coleman eventually fell on it, but it was a loss of 18 yards. The Panthers made the tackle on third and long and forced the Broncos to punt coming out of the two minute warning. Young hit McMillan on a slant for a 21 yard gain on the first play of the drive to move into the Broncos side of the field. There was an offsides Bronco, and penalty would have stopped the clock even if it was declined. Instead, the Panthers had to hurry to the line, and on the next play, Young was hit in the arm trying to throw the ball. He fumbled, and the Broncos recovered. They were able to pick up a first down to run out the clock. OverviewThe Panthers actually outplayed the Broncos on a play to play basis. They averaged 5.7 to the Broncos 4.8 yards per play. Penalties and mistakes were the difference. In the defense of the Panthers, some of the drive extending pass interference calls were very questionable. Also, the interception probably could have been a pass interference on Denver, and it was a complete fluke that the ball ended up in the hands of a Bronco. It’s a disappointing loss, but it was an admirable performance for such a banged up Panthers team against a 6-2 Broncos team. The Broncos are just a charmed team right now, and the Panthers couldn’t overcome whatever black magic voodoo Sean Payton has done to earn his team some good fortune. The Panthers travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in a key divisional matchup.