ntil the fourth quarter to turn it up a notch on offense.The result was an impressive win against the league's top-ranked defense.Newton completed 21 of 29 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 52 yards and another score as the Panthers soundly defeated the Baltimore Ravens 36-21 on Sunday for their ninth straight win at home.Christian McCaffrey had two touchdowns and the Panthers continued to get electrifying performances from different players. This time James Bradberry Jersey 2019 , it was rookie wide receiver D.J. Moore, who turned in his best game as a pro with 129 yards from scrimmage."We present a lot of issues for defenses and that is what this offense was kind of built for," Newton said. "We have dynamic players all around the field."Unlike last Sunday when they needed three fourth quarter touchdowns to erase a 17-0 deficit and beat the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles 21-17, the Panthers took it to the Ravens early and often.After spotting the Ravens a 7-0 lead on the game's first possession, the Panthers (5-2) scored on four straight drives in the final 16 minutes of the first half to break the game open and take a 24-7 halftime lead.Newton threw an 11-yard TD pass to Greg Olsen , McCaffrey ran for a 11-yard score and leaped into the air to corral a 6-yard TD pass that ricocheted off the hands of safety Eric Weddle and into his arms in the end zone. And when Baltimore (4-4) climbed to within 13 late in the third quarter, Newton was there to calmly drive the Panthers 85 yards in nine plays, racing in untouched from 12 yards out on a naked bootleg to put the game away early.The Panthers rolled up 386 yards against a Ravens defense that had come in allowing a league-low 280.6 yards and 14.4 points per game.Baltimore seemed a step behind all day long, unable to figure out the Panthers multiple misdirection plays."They present a lot of misdirection and formations, different plays and was tough to get in a rhythm with them and Cam played an outstanding game Stitched Da’Norris Searcy Jersey ," Ravens safety Eric Weddle said.When asked why Carolina's misdirection offense was so effective, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith held up one hand and said, "Look at my hand. Now if I smack you with this one (my other hand), you won't see it coming. That's how it works."PANTHERS DEFENSECarolina showed it can still play a little 'D' as well, forcing three turnovers.The momentum-turning play came in the first quarter when defensive tackle Kyle Love crashed through the line and delivered a vicious hit on Ravens running back Alex Collins, jarring the ball loose. Defensive tackle Vernon Butler came up with the loose ball at the Ravens 12 after Luke Kuechly unsuccessfully tried to scoop and score. Three plays later, Newton found Olsen on a slant route giving Carolina a 14-7 lead it would never relinquish."Sometimes you're unblocked and you have to make a play," Love said.FLACCO: GOT BUTTS KICKEDBaltimore's Joe Flacco finished 22 of 39 for 192 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, and said the Panthers were more physical and simply played better."We got our butts kicked today," Flacco said.The loss was the second straight for the Ravens."There is obviously a bigger threat to let this stuff affect you mentally and how we are jelling together Youth Jarius Wright Jersey , so we have to combat that by being ourselves and being as tough as we can," Flacco said.GETTING HIS KICKSPanthers kicker Graham Gano extended his streak to 39 consecutive field goals made at home — and 28 straight overall — after connecting from 54, 44 and 30 yards.GAMBLING HARBAUGHHow many coaches have the guts to make this call? Leading 7-0 in the first quarter at Carolina, Ravens coach John Harbaugh went for a fake punt from his own 10-yard line on a fourth-and-1 — and Baltimore appeared to pick it up easily with Anthony Levine plowing ahead for an 8-yard gain. However, the Ravens were called for an illegal shift on the play, wiping out the first down, and they wound up punting.Harbaugh also went for a first down on fourth-and-1 from his own 34 and got it on a Flacco sneak.STEALING THREEThe Panthers used their own brand of trickery to steal three points just before halftime.Facing a fourth-and-7 at the Baltimore 44, coach Ron Rivera sent in backup QB Taylor Heinicke to throw an apparent Hail Mary with Newton's shoulder still sore from last week's game. But after the Ravens defense backed off, Heinicke saw Olsen alone lined up to the left side and he hauled in a 13-yard pass and ducked out of bounds with 2 seconds left. Gano came on to boot a 54-yard field goal to give Carolina momentum heading into the second half.NATIONAL ANTHEMPanthers safety Eric Reid continued to protest against social and racial injustice by kneeling before the national anthem. Also, several fans took a knee during the national anthem outside of the stadium in support of Reid's cause.INJURIESRavens starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley was helped off the field in the third quarter with a knee injury Stitched Jarius Wright Jersey , but did return. The Panthers reported no injuries.UP NEXTRavens: Host Pittsburgh next Sunday.Panthers: Host Tampa Bay next Sunday. While .500 football can get frustrating, things could be a whole lot worse"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomThe Carolina Panthers are a perfectly average NFL franchise, and that’s okayNew,35commentsWhile .500 football can get frustrating, things could be a whole lot worseEDTShareTweetShareShareThe Carolina Panthers are a perfectly average NFL franchise, and that’s okayBob Donnan-USA TODAY SportsSince the team’s inception in 1995 the Carolina Panthers have been a perfectly average NFL franchise. With an all-time regular season record of 190-193-1 and a playoff record of 9-8 the Panthers are about as close to .500 as a team can get. In assembling their nearly perfectly average record the Panthers have also been boringly predictable. This isn’t a boom-or-bust team. In 12 of their 24 seasons the Panthers have finished with either seven or eight wins. They’ve won more than 11 games just four times. Conversely, they have lost more than six games just three times. As fans, we should be just fine with this very average history. The reason for this is because of the way the NFL operates. With just 16 games per year, teams that hover around .500 are normally playing meaningful football with playoff implications until late in the season. Sometimes they can even sneak into the playoffs with an 8-8 record. As Panthers fans we are fortunate to support a team that is consistently good enough to give us reasons to care from early September into late December. In the NFL being average is often good enough because it makes almost every game relevant and it gives the fan base a reason for hope. Not every sport can say the same. NBA fans who root for teams that are perpetually playing .500 basketball are stuck in a hopeless predicament - they aren’t good enough to advance beyond the first round of a seven-game playoff series, but they’re too good to land high draft picks who can alter the franchise’s trajectory. Many of us as Carolina Panthers fans also follow the Charlotte Hornets and know all too well what it feels like when an NBA team is stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity. Major League Baseball can become a 162-game slog. After watching 60 games of average baseball Youth Dontari Poe Jersey , it’s hard for fans to stay passionately engaged for the next 100. While it’s rare for us as Panthers fans to come into a season feeling confident about double-digit win totals, it’s also rare for us to immediately write off an upcoming season and think we’ll be lucky to win five or six games. It may get frustrating at times to feel so passionate about a generally average team, but again, average is often good enough because it gives us hope and an entire season’s worth of meaningful football. Let’s thank our lucky stars, for example, that the Panthers aren’t the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s natural to compare these two teams because they both entered the NFL in 1995. The Jags have a 170-214 (.443) regular season record and are 7-7 in the postseason. However, Jacksonville had most of its success in its early years, going 49-31 over their first five seasons. Over the last 10 years the Jags are 52-108 and have made the postseason just one time. For the better part of the last decade, Jacksonville fans have entered each season with little reason for hope. The 2019 Carolina Panthers could once again shape up to be perfectly average. Both CBS Sports and 247Sports put the Panthers over/under win total at eight games. ESPN gets very specific with Carolina projected to win 7.7 games with a 27.9 percent chance of making the postseason. Now, the Panthers as an organization and we as fans shouldn’t have the goal of shooting for the middle nor should we be complacent with mediocrity. We don’t have to watch Panthers games wearing rose-colored glasses while listening to “Everything is Awesome” in the background. Botching seasons like the Panthers did in 2018 should be inexcusable Stitched Dontari Poe Jersey , even if Cam was dinged up. As fans we should expect Marty Hurney & Co. to build a consistently competitive team while the Cam Newton-Luke Kuechly window is still open. Teams like the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle Seahawks have shown that it’s possible to be consistently above average in the constantly changing NFL. That should always be the goal. But for now, the 2019 Carolina Panthers might enter the season looking perfectly average.All things considered, that’s not a bad place to be.