Defense dances, after making timely plays throughout the day

But on a day when the Panthers forced five drives to end in a three-and-out, two turnovers on downs and one turnover in the traditional sense (a Mike Jacksoninterception) en route to a 36-22 win, any negative comments about Clowney’s celebration dance might have been the only ones from the defense.

The Raiders scored two of their touchdowns (and 15 of their 22 points) in what amounted to garbage time, when the game was well in hand for the Panthers. It was complementary football from top-to-bottom, as the offense put up 437 total yards, and the defense held the Raiders to 331 yards—261 yards without the late drive after Raiders starting quarterback Gardner Minshew had donned a baseball hat.

“The first win, that’s the most important,” Horn said. “The first two weeks was kind of down, but we knew what type of team we had, and we knew we just had to respond. Even the outside noise was getting kind of crazy, we still stuck together as a team. We just came out here and play complementary football and found a way to win.”

Perhaps the biggest factor in the Panthers defense playing their part, was the passing defense holding Davante Adams to four receptions for 40 yards, a modest line for the dynamic receiver. It was not just due to the passing defense though, as nickel Troy Hill explained, but rather the entire defense, from front-to-back.

“I think rush and coverage go hand in hand,” Hill said. “I feel like it was just a team victory. You get a lot of energy when you see offense moving, you see the rush coming together. So, I feel like that all played a part in the team victory.”

Jackson, acquired via trade during training camp from Seattle, was within sniffing distance of the ball most of the day, allowing him to finish with a team high nine tackles, three passes defended and the interception.

“Mike, he’s just not any cornerback,” Horn said. “He played a lot of snaps in his league, and I try to lean on him and learn from him every day. He came up with the ball today. So anytime a cornerback come up with a pick, you know, it’s a win.”