SAN FRANCISCO - Panthers kicker Graham Gano isn’t perfect anymore, but he was more than good enough.
Gano kicked a 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and the Panthers rode another strong defensive performance to a 10-9 win over San Francisco on Sunday at Candlestick Park.
The Panthers (6-3) won their fifth consecutive game and answered critics who said they’d beaten up on a series of lesser opponents.
In defeating the 49ers (6-3), the Panthers knocked off the defending NFC champions, who had won five straight.
Gano had made all 12 of his field goal attempts entering the game, but missed a 48-yarder in the third quarter that would have given the Panthers the lead.
But the former Florida State standout got a second chance following a long punt return by Ted Ginn Jr., and whistled it through the uprights with 10 minutes remaining.
Gano said he was thankful for the second chance.
“I was so angry up until the ball left my foot on the 53-yarder,” he said. “I always want another opportunity after a miss.”
The Panthers’ defense did the rest, holding the 49ers to 151 total yards and limiting them to 2-for-13 on third down. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said key defensively was the penetration the Panthers got up front, putting the 49ers in a bunch of third-and-long situations.
The Niners had one last chance, though, taking over on their 20 with 1:02 left and out of timeouts, but veteran cornerback Drayton Florence intercepted Colin Kaepernick’s second-down pass with 23 seconds left to seal it.
“They’re the NFC champions, 5 1/2-hour flight, one of the best running backs, the best running quarterback in the league, one of the best defenses in the league,” Florence said. “And we come in, 10-9 ballgame.”
The Panthers’ five consecutive wins are their most since they won six in a row during the 2005 season.
Ginn, playing against his former team, set up Gano with a 24-yard punt return to the Niners’ 44. Ginn punctuated the play by staring at the San Francisco bench and spinning the ball.
The Panthers netted only 9 yards on seven plays after Ginn’s return before Gano made up for his earlier miss.
“We heard all the naysayers say that we hand’t played anybody and blah, blah, blah,” Panthers safety Mike Mitchell said. “Well, we played somebody today, on the road, in their place, and beat ‘em. So they shouldn’t have too much to say. We’re relevant, we’re here.”
Colin Jones, another ex-49er, contributed a big special teams late in the game, downing Brad Nortman’s 40-yard punt at the San Francisco 1 with 5:25 remaining. The Niners picked up a first down before being forced to punt with 2:27 left.
The Panthers stumbled through a sloppy first half in which they lost two turnovers, dropped an interception and missed out on a takeaway when officials ruled San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis had not fumbled inside the Panthers’ 10.
Yet, the Panthers trailed only 9-7 at the half, thanks to a defense that kept forcing Phil Dawson field goals instead of touchdowns, and a great play call by Mike Shula and touchdown run by DeAngelo Williams.
After Dawson’s third field goal – after the Panthers lost a replay challenge on Davis’ incompletion – put the Niners up 9-0, Carolina took over on their 20 having gained only 30 yards in the half.
They proceeded to put together an 80-yard scoring drive – capped by Williams’ 27-yard run with 1:52 left in the half.
The Panthers faked on option right with receiver Brandon LaFell as the back, then Williams took an inside handoff heading left, broke two tackles and scooted in for his second touchdown of the season.
Carolina missed a couple of chances to take the lead in the third quarter. Gano missed wide left on a 48-yarder after Dwan Edwards had to rush on to the field as a blocker.
The Panthers then failed to score after their first takeaway of the game – safety Quintin Mikell’s recovery of Kendall Hunter’s fumble at the Carolina 45. The Panthers went three-and-out after Hunter’s fumble, which was caused by linebacker Thomas Davis.
The victory sets up an other marquee matchup for Carolina, which plays the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football” in Charlotte on Nov. 18.
Florence said from now on, the situation is the same.
“We just gotta keep preparing every week,’ Florence said. “We’ll get everybody’s best shot from here on out.”