Panthers muff punt return for Cardinals’ first big play
On the Cardinals first two drives, they went three-and-out. On the third, they punted. And this happened:
Panthers punt returner Brenton Bersin tried to pick up a hopping punt b Arizona’s Drew Butler, and touched it, and Justin Bethel of the Cardinals hopped on it. As Jon Gruden noted, it looked like Bersin tried to get his body in front of the ball like a third baseman, but maximizing the space where the ball can hit you is not necessarily ideal if the ball touching you anywhere causes it to be live.
Considering how bad Arizona has looked offensively, this might be their play of the day. The Cardinals scored a TD a few plays later to make it 10-7.
Backup punt returner Philly Brown hasn’t been ideal recovering kicks either this year. Bersin graduated from local FCS squad Wofford in 2012 and spent two years on Carolina’s practice squad, but only made it onto the Panthers’ active roster this year.
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