Bryce Young threw for two touchdowns and Rico Dowdle ran for 206 yards and a touchdown as the Carolina Panthers rallied past the Miami Dolphins for a 27-24 victory Sunday afternoon in Charlotte.
Young’s 4-yard pass to rookie tight end Mitchell Evans with 1:59 to play gave the Panthers (2-3) the lead for good as they matched the largest comeback to win a game in franchise history by overcoming a 17-point hole.
Young had a horrific first quarter, but he ended up 19-for-30 passing for 198 yards with an interception. Dowdle, filling in for injured Chuba Hubbard, did his work on the ground on 23 carries, coming up 4 yards shy of matching the single-game franchise rushing record.
Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa completed 27 of 36 throws for 256 yards with three touchdowns and Jaylen Waddle gained 110 receiving yards on six catches and scored a touchdown, but the Dolphins (1-4) dropped to 0-3 in road games.
The Panthers climbed out of what was nearly a game-long deficit, going ahead 20-17 with an 85-yard drive that ended on Dowdle’s 1-yard run with 6:10 remaining.
The Dolphins punted on five consecutive possessions before a sudden burst to retake the lead. Boosted by Malik Washington’s 40-yard kick return, Miami needed only three plays to cover the final 57 yards. Tagovailoa threw 46 yards to Waddle for the points prior to the Panthers’ winning drive.
The Dolphins went up 17-0, so it might have looked like the Panthers were headed for another blowout defeat before they rattled off 20 points in a row.
Riley Patterson’s 43-yard field goal opened the scoring for Miami. Carolina’s first two possessions ended on Young turnovers — a fumble and an interception.
The Dolphins followed both of those with touchdowns. Tagovailoa completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to De’Von Achane, and Darren Waller caught a 4-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter.
The Panthers racked up 10 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the first half. Young hit Xavier Legette, who missed the two previous games because of an injury, for a 7-yard touchdown play and, on the last play of the half, Fitzgerald booted a 35-yard field goal.
Fitzgerald added a 49-yard field goal to end the first possession of the second half and draw Carolina within 17-13.
