Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
They started leaving early in the fourth quarter, after Cam Newton had completed yet another pass to receiver Devin Funchess.
Yes, that Cam Newton. And, yes, that Devin Funchess. The quarterback who laughed off a female reporter last week in Charlotte and the receiver who so often underachieved as a Michigan football player in Ann Arbor.
The fans should’ve stayed. Because what looked like a blowout turned into a game. Improbably.
A one-sided story that felt so painfully familiar – sacks, dropped passes, receivers unable to get open – suddenly turned.