Panthers gamble, lose to Lions on failed 2-point conversion while trailing by 1

Riverboat Ron lived up to his reputation on Sunday.

The Carolina Panthers rallied against the Detroit Lions with a late touchdown to set up what looked like overtime in Detroit. Trailing 20-13 with 2:44 remaining, Cam Newton led a six-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to D.J. Moore in the back of the end zone.

But there would be no overtime. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera made sure of that.

Instead of sending out the kicking team for a game-tying extra point attempt, Rivera put his offense back on the field to attempt to take the lead with a 2-point conversion.

Gamble does not pay off

It failed. Newton got good protection on the play and found Jarius Wright streaking across the end zone, but his pass was high and incomplete.

The Lions recovered the ensuing onside kick, and that was the end of the game. The Panthers fell to 6-4 with the 20-19 loss, their second straight defeat and a costly one in a crowded NFC wild-card picture.

What was Rivera thinking?

Panthers kicker Graham Gano was not having a good day. He missed an extra point earlier in the quarter when the Panthers had a chance to take a 14-13 lead. He also missed his only field goal attempt on the day, a 34-yarder that hit the left upright in the third quarter.

If either of those kicks were good, then Rivera wouldn’t have faced the high-risk decision at the end of the game.

Rivera: ‘Our best opportunity to win’

When asked about the decision, Rivera was curt.

“I went for two to win the football game,” Rivera said. “OK? That’s all I’m going to say about it. That was my mindset. We didn’t come here to tie. We didn’t come here to lose. We came to win the football game

“And I just felt like that was our best opportunity to win.”

It’s not like Rivera to come out and throw Gano under the bus. But that math is clear here.

With his kicker struggling, he decided to trust his Pro Bowl quarterback with a chance to win the game rather than play for overtime on a kick that was far from a sure thing.

Rivera has a reputation for gambling, and this could prove costly in the end if the Panthers can’t get back on a winning track.

But was it a good gamble? He would certainly be praised if it had paid off.

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