After a 59 point blowout to open the season, the Panthers found themselves in the familiar Misery and Sadness Bowl with the Falcons. They proved they might be a team team to watch out for once again.
First Quarter
The Panthers started off the game with a nice turnover, as regular season starting knight Nick Scott recovered a Cooper Rush fumble. Carolina responded with Bryce Young hitting Chuba Hubbard on a short pass for a score. The next drive for the Falcons ended with another turnover, as Bobby Okereke snagged
a tipped ball for an interception. Carolina could not capitalize which forced a punt. Another Falcons punt later and a nice Jalen Coker return had the Panthers in scoring distance again, but they fell short. 10-0 Panthers. The Falcons engaged on a somewhat productive drive that got them into the RedZone, but a nice tackle by Devin Lloyd on 4th down ended those hopes.
Second Quarter
The second quarter didn’t start well, as a holding penalty and then a sack basically shut down the Panthers drive. Sam Martin punted a nice ball to trap the Falcons inside their 20 despite the offensive struggles. A Devin Lloyd sack ended the Falcons ensuing drive. A couple Tetairoa McMillan catches and a really special Jalen Coker reception put the Panthers back in scoring distance. They failed to score a TD so the game got to 13-0 following another field goal. The Falcons tried to push into scoring distance on their next drive, and managed a field goal, 13-3 Panthers. Bryce Young hit Xavier Legette on a HUGE pass to get the Panthers right back to scoring range in the waning moments of the half. The Panthers capitalize with a Bryce Young strike to Darren Waller, 20-3 Panthers!
Third Quarter
The Panthers opened the second half with the ball, and they ate with a nice 73 yard drive capped off with another Darren Waller TD pass. 27-3 Panthers. Devin Lloyd made an instance interception on the following drive that once again put the Panthers in scoring distance. The Panthers could not put any points on the board and lost possession on an incomplete pass by Bryce. The Falcons took over and brought in Jack Strand at QB, who subsequently threw a ball that Jaycee Horn got a hand on and Devin Lloyd picked off and took to the house for a TD. 34-3 Panthers. Strand took over but it didn’t go well, as the Falcons went into 4th down to end the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
The Panthers continued to have issues with holding penalties, but things were academic at this point. The Panthers punted with about 10 minutes left in the final quarter. They trotted out the second string defense at that point. The Falcons also got Bijan Robinson out of the game and also seemed to settle in to the end of the game. Nick Folk missed on a sad field goal attempt that perfectly encapsulated the Falcons efforts on the day. Kenny Pickett took over on offense for the Panthers. They still managed to turn the ball over, so the Panthers won on a victory formation as they kneeled the clock out.
Overall, solid win by this Panthers unit. They certainly have things to clean up (those penalties, man) but a blowout win over a division rival puts them in great position to take the NFC South once again. I think we;lol have a better idea of who this team is in the next two weeks, but we can at least celebrate now. A win is a win!
KEEP POUNDING!
