Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns, including a clinching 58-yard run in the fourth quarter, as the Carolina Panthers defeated the visiting Tennessee Titans 30-20 on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C.
McCaffrey rushed for 146 yards on 24 carries to go with three receptions for 20 yards on another day with a heavy workload.
The Panthers (5-3), who played a home game for the first time in three weeks, responded from a blowout loss a week earlier at undefeated San Francisco.
Quarterback Kyle Allen, who again was at the controls amid an ongoing injury saga involving Cam Newton, completed 17 of 32 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns.
Allen improved to 6-1 all-time as a starter, including 5-1 this season.
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 27 of 39 for 331 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown. He scored on a 10-yard run with 2:49 remaining but his two-point conversion pass was incomplete.
Tennessee tried to pull within seven, but Ryan Succop's 44-yard field goal attempt hit the upright with 47 seconds left.
The Titans (4-5) didn't score until the first possession of the third quarter, when running back Derrick Henry was the workhorse and capped the drive with an 8-yard run. Henry gained 47 yards on the march.
McCaffrey scored from 1 yard out on Carolina's next possession, which included a conversion for a first down off a fake punt. McCaffrey has rushed for a touchdown in six consecutive games.
Henry scored on a 23-yard pass play in the first minute of the fourth quarter.
In the first half, Donte Jackson's interception, followed by a face-mask penalty, set up the Panthers at the Tennessee 15. Allen threw 7 yards to McCaffrey for a touchdown on a fourth-and-2 play.
Allen found Curtis Samuel in the end zone for a 12-yard play with 58 seconds left in the first half.
Both teams were denied in the first quarter, with Succop missing on a 43-yard field-goal attempt and Allen picked off in Tennessee territory by linebacker Harold Landry III.
Succop was short on a 56-yard attempt on the last play of the first half.
With the outcome, the Carolina franchise owns a home victory against every other NFL team.
--Field Level Media
Tennessee | Carolina | |
Derrick Henry | Player | Christian McCaffrey |
13 | Attempts | 24 |
63 | Yards | 146 |
4.8 | Avg Yards | 6.1 |
1 | Touchdowns | 2 |
12 | Long | 58 |
Tennessee | Carolina | |
A.J. Brown | Player | DJ Moore |
4 | Receptions | 7 |
81 | Yards | 101 |
20.2 | Avg Yards | 14.4 |
0 | Touchdowns | 0 |
35 | Long | 32 |
Yards | Scoring | Defense | ||||||
Team | Tot | Rus | Pas | TD | FG | INT | Sck | FF |
Tennessee | 431 | 121 | 310 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 | 0 |
Carolina | 370 | 156 | 214 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4.0 | 1 |