MIAMI — The Carolina Panthers suffered their second three-score loss in a row and will head into the bye week without a win this year.
A 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins leaves the Panthers with an 0-6 record as they remain the NFL's only winless team. Carolina led 14-0 in the second quarter but the Dolphins scored 35 unanswered points to erase any hopes of the Panthers finding the win column on Sunday.
No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young had an efficient, mistake-free afternoon against the Dolphins but the offense failed to score in the second half as the high-flying Miami offense knifed through Carolina's defense for most of the game.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard first with a 6-yard rushing score from Chuba Hubbard, who started at running back in place of the injured Miles Sanders. The score gave the Panthers their first lead since Week 4 against the Vikings.
Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear ran well on the next Panthers drive to get Young in position to pass an 8-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen to give Carolina an unexpected 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
That lead would evaporate before the end of the first half, though, as the Dolphins would score on their next three drives on Tua Tagovailoa touchdown passes. In between the Miami scores, the Panthers faked a punt on a 4th down play where punter Johnny Hekker completed a pass to Laviska Shenault Jr. for what was initially ruled a first down but turned out to be 1-yard short of the marker.
Tagovailoa's third touchdown was a 41-yard bomb to Tyreek Hill that resulted in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after Hill did a backflip while holding a cellphone during his celebration.
In the second half, Miami managed three more touchdowns as the Panthers punted and turned the ball over on downs. Carolina's only score in the second half came off a Troy Hill interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers are now 0-6 for the first time since 1998, a season where they started 0-7.
Mercifully, the Panthers will not lose next week as they are on a bye. Carolina's next opponent is the Houston Texans on Oct. 29 at Bank of America Stadium.
This article will be updated.