Panthers-Packers ending: Why the officials ruled there was no time left on the clock

With 13 seconds left in their game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers had a first-and-10 from their own 47-yard line with no timeouts left. To give themselves a shot at a game-tying field goal, the Panthers needed to get a chunk gain and hustle up to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball before the clock ran out. They went 1-for-2. 

Rookie quarterback Bryce Young found Adam Thielen over the middle for a 22-yard gain to get the ball down to Green Bay’s 31-yard line — well within kicker Eddy Piñiero’s range. But by the time Young and the rest of the team got up to the ball to stop the clock, there simply wasn’t enough time remaining. 

Here’s the full sequence:

Following the game, referee Walt Anderson was asked why no time was added back to the clock after Young spiked the ball. His explanation revealed that the Panthers were agonizingly close to having just enough time for a field goal. 

According to Anderson, the Panthers snapped the ball with 1 second left, and the clock hit 0 while the ball was in the air on its way to the ground. That ruling was confirmed on review, Anderson said. And with that, the Panthers dropped to 2-13, and moved one step closer to handing the No. 1 pick to the Chicago Bears.