Panthers Miss Shot At Nfc South Lead After Bang-bang Late Hit On Qb Tyler Shough Cuts 15 Yards Off Saints' Game-winning Fg

This is a tough way to lose ground in the playoff race.

The Carolina Panthers needed a win over the three-win New Orleans Saints on Sunday to take the lead in the NFC South over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, they lost to one of the NFL's worst teams in part due to a late hit that cut 15 yards off a would-be 62-yard field-goal attempt. 

With 12 seconds remaining in a 17-17 game, Saints quarterback Tyler Shough took off on a designed run up the middle as New Orleans tried to get into field-goal range. Shough gained four yards and slid at the last moment as rookie Panthers safety Lathan Ransom barreled down on him. 

Ransom hit Shough as Shough slid, immediately drawing multiple penalty flags. 

Officials flagged Ransom for unnecessary roughness, and a 4-yard gain turned into a 19-yard gain. 

Two plays later, Saints kicker Charlie Smyth hit a 47-yard go-ahead field goal with two seconds remaining that iced the 20-17 New Orleans win. Without the penalty, Smyth's attempt would have been from 62 yards. 

Would Smyth have hit from 62? We'll never know. The kicker was playing in just his third NFL game and has a career long of 56 yards in his brief pro career. 

Regardless, it added up to a difficult way to lose a football game and a tough moment for Ransom, a fourth-round rookie out of Ohio State. It's always tough for a defender to be penalized when a quarterback goes into his slide that late. But that hit will consistently draw a flag in the NFL as the burden remains on defenders to avoid late hits on quarterbacks. 

Ransom was asked to address the penalty at his postgame locker. 

"Every yard matters in that situation, so he's running the ball, and I'm just thinking stop him as fast as I can," Ransom said. 

Ransom added that it's "difficult" when asked how difficult it is for a defender to anticipate when a quarterback will initiate his slide. He was then asked what he could have done differently to avoid the penalty. 

"Not hit him," Ransom said. 

The loss dropped the Panthers to 7-7 and into a tie atop the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost Thursday night to the Falcons. A win, obviously, would have given them a one-game lead with three games remaining in the regular season.

The good news for the Panthers is they have two of their three remaining games against the Buccaneers and remain in control of their path to the playoffs. But they missed a critical chance to build a cushion over the Bucs in excruciating fashion.