ATLANTA – A week after being shredded by the Chicago Bears for 59 points, the Carolina Panthers defense found the perfect get-well tonic: Cooper Rush.
The Panthers forced two turnovers – a Rush fumble, then a Rush interception – on the first two drives by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
And that was just the beginning.
It got so bad during the Panthers’ 34-3 march through Atlanta Rush, the No. 3 quarterback behind the injured Michael Penix, Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa, was benched for rookie Jack Strand in the third quarter as a steady rain of boos from the home crowd persisted.
Rush was pulled after throwing his second interception of the game to Devin Lloyd, floating unnoticed in a zone before reaching up to snag
throw. Lloyd nearly ran it back for a pick-six but was chased down by Drake London for a 53-yard return.
Enter Strand, the undrafted rookie from Minnesota State-Moorhead.
Strand’s first pass was indeed a pick-six, and again it was Lloyd, who ran 16 yards with the return for the score.
What a difference a week makes. The Panthers gave up eight touchdowns and yielded nearly 300 rushing yards to the Bears in Week 1. On Sunday, they found a speedy recovery.
Follow Bell on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Panthers struggling defense finds elixir in Falcons' quarterback debacle
