The best open-field runner in Charlotte on Sunday stood about a foot tall and wore a sweater.

The Carolina Panthers brought a dozen corgis onto the turf at halftime of their game against the Denver Broncos for a short-legged sprint billed as the Carolina Cup. Winnie. Daisy. Sausage. Ollie. Colorado. Quinn. The pups lined up while fans got their phones ready for a few seconds of cuteness.

Players had even picked favorites before kickoff. One of them made his case for a slim pup named Milo by pointing out that a few of the other racers carried a little extra weight in the back. Scouting reports have been harsher.

The race ended. The running did not.

Ollie crossed first and took the crown. Then Quinn decided the day was just getting started. Wearing a Carolina blue sweater she slipped away from her people and took off across the field like the whole stadium was her backyard.

What followed looked like a broken play. Four handlers gave chase. Then five. Quinn cut left at the 40. She cut right at the 45. A couple of grown adults dove and came up with nothing but grass. At one point she seemed to slow down just to check herself out on the giant video board.

A missed tackle highlight for the ages

The second half was supposed to be starting. Instead a national TV host was calling the chase like a kick return, shouting yard lines as the little dog crossed midfield. When two staffers finally wrapped her up together it went down as a group tackle after what felt like a 100-yard gain.

Fans online quickly crowned her the week's leader in missed tackles. A few joked that the Panthers should check whether she has any eligibility left. Others wondered why nobody simply yelled the word treat.

The Panthers lost the game 26-21. The local corgi club did not seem to mind one bit. Its members cheered Quinn on by name after the game and said they always love being part of halftime. Quinn has not commented. She is presumably napping.