OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Carolina Panthers were done. Toast. The obit on the season was on the way to the printer with only a few final details to be determined.
Down 24-7 at halftime to Oakland, one of the top teams in the AFC. On the road.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton coming off a career-worst first half in which he compiled a passer rating of 1.7. Injuries mounting on an offensive line already without Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil.
Then came a fumbled snap by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr that was recovered by Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. The deficit quickly turned into a 32-24 lead.
The season was saved?
No, it was just a big tease.
As has happened much of this season, the Panthers couldn’t finish what they started. Oakland scored the final 11 points, the last three on a 23-yard field goal with 1 minutes, 45 seconds remaining for a 35-32 victory Sunday that for all practical purposes buried Carolina’s playoff hopes.
Oh, the Panthers had one final shot. But Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen dropped a pass inside the Oakland 20 on third down, and Newton suffered a strip sack on fourth down to seal the team's fate.
You’ve seen this script before.
"It is a tough loss," Olsen said. "Obviously, there are a lot of things that we could have done better to give ourselves a better chance. That is this game. It is not for the faint of heart, and you have got to make the plays, starting with me."
Carolina (4-7) is now three games behind Atlanta in the NFC South, with a game at Seattle next on the schedule. The so-called business trip to the West Coast in which nothing short of a 2-0 record would have been acceptable has become the start of a postseason vacation.
"It's been very frustrating," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said of losing five games by a field goal or less. "I mean, the health of this football team is very frustrating. The missed opportunities are very frustrating.
"Now, it's five games where you've lost virtually in the last few minutes. It's disappointing, but that's the nature of this game."
No more talk of Super Bowl hangover. It’s time to start talking about draft picks.
"No, we just have to keep believing," said wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., whose 88-yard touchdown catch pulled the Panthers within 24-19 in the third quarter. "As long as we keep believing, keep playing this game ... as they say, any given Sunday. That's all you can worry about.''
This Sunday didn’t start well for Carolina’s playoff hopes, as both Atlanta (7-4) and New Orleans (5-6) won big in the NFC South. Then it got worse, particularly for Newton.
The Panthers quarterback completed 3 of 12 pass attempts for 18 yards, the fewest he’s had in any first half since entering the league in 2011.
His previous low was 40 against Seattle in Week 5 of 2012. His previous low passer rating for a first half was 11.1 against the Seahawks in Week 6 of last season.
"I just couldn't get in a rhythm," Newton said.
The low came late in the half, when Newton attempted a screen pass to running back Fozzy Whittaker that was intercepted by Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack and returned 6 yards for a touchdown that made it 24-7.
"Making a lackluster turnover late at the end of the first half didn't make it easy for us," Newton said.
Another low moment came when backup quarterback Derek Anderson was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for complaining about a no-call for what he thought was pass interference on a deep throw from Newton to Kelvin Benjamin.
Credit the Panthers for not going down without a fight, but down they went. Credit Newton for bouncing back to finish with a respectable passer rating of 86.3.
"The third quarter was dominant for us," Newton said. "We just have to keep that same mentality and get ready for the next game."
But now, barring a major collapse in the rest of the NFC, the Panthers' playoff hopes are done for the season.
"We'll just keep fighting, keep playing," Rivera said. "Now we still have an opportunity. We'll see what happens. There's no other reason for us to look any other way, but there's a glimmer of hope. That's all you need sometimes."