The Carolina Panthers have extended their streak of dominance over the Atlanta Falcons, having now won the last four matchups with their NFC South rivals.
Today’s 34-3 road victory evens the Panthers’ record at 1-1 for the season, and gives them some breathing room going into Week 3.
Here are a few players who stood out in Atlanta, for better or worse . . .
Stud: QB Bryce Young
Young had a mostly uneven first half up until the end of the second quarter, when he suddenly caught fire—delivering a 55-yard bomb to wide receiver Xavier Legette, followed by a touchdown to tight end Darren Waller. That put the Panthers up 20-3 at halftime.
He would then pick up where he left off after the break, finding Waller for another touchdown.
Now 5-1 all-time against Atlanta, Young ended
the day 23-of-36 for 287 yards, three touchdowns, no picks and a 116.3 passer rating.
Stud: RB Chuba Hubbard
While his numbers weren't great, Hubbard put in his second straight impressive performance. He scored the Panthers' first points of the game on a catch in the end zone.
Hubbard was just efficient enough to get the yards he needed and appears to be 100-percent recovered from the injury issues that plagued him last season. In the end, he posted 53 yards on 12 carries.
Stud: WR Tetairoa McMillan
Carolina's top skill position performer this week was their No. 1 wide receiver, McMillan. He got into a smooth rhythm with Young in the second quarter and went into the locker room at halftime with a game-high 73 receiving yards on four catches.
McMillan added a few more big catches after the break, totaling 101 yards on five receptions.
Stud: WR Jalen Coker
With Jimmy Horn Jr. out of the picture, the Panthers needed a new punt returner—and it seems they've found something in Coker.
Early in the game, Coker had a 36-yard return and wound up posting 49 total yards on two attempts. He chipped in another eight catches and 66 yards on offense.
Dud: RG Robert Hunt
Young leading that first scoring drive was particularly impressive given how much the offensive line seemed determined to ruin it.
Dud: Penalty problems
Hunt's penalties stood out the most since they were so unusual, but he was far from the only Carolina player who drew a flag. The offensive line had a sloppy day in general, with Monroe Freeling, Damien Lewis and Rasheed Walker committing penalties of their own. Tight end Tommy Tremble also had a couple.
All around, the Panthers were flagged nine times, losing 63 total yards in the process.
On the opening possession, star right guard Robert Hunt committed two uncharacteristic penalties—one false start and one illegal hands to the face. He followed those with another false start on the next drive.
Studs: LBs Devin Lloyd, Bobby Okereke
In Week 1, Okereke made a high-impact play by recovering a fumble by the Bears on their first drive. This week, he made another splash, securing an interception off of a tipped pass by quarterback Cooper Rush on Atlanta’s second possession.
His second-level partner in Lloyd also made a ton of stops, including a sack on Rush in the second quarter and two interceptions of his own in the third, including a pick-six. Together, these two combined for 18 tackles.
Stud: S Zakee Wheatley
Carolina’s unsung rookie on the back end made a huge play on the first snap of the game. As Rush took off for a scramble, Wheatley snuck in and punched the ball out, resulting in a turnover. That set up a long and eventful first possession for the Panthers, ending in Hubbard’s touchdown catch.
Later, Wheatley made a nice open-field tackle on wideout Zachariah Branch—one of the quickest prospects in the 2026 draft class.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Studs and duds from Panthers' Week 2 win over Falcons
