The Atlanta Falcons weren't expected to beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, but few expected them to lose by 31 points in front of their fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sunday's 34-31 loss put the team in devastating 0-2 hole with no sign of turning things around.
The game got off to a brutal start for the Falcons as quarterback Cooper Rush fumbled on the first offensive play of the afternoon. Atlanta quickly found itself down 10-0, and things would only get worse from there.
After Rush committed his third turnover, the Falcons benched him for undrafted rookie Jack Strand late in the third quarter. Fans finally got what they had been dying for, but Strand's first pass attempt was picked off and returned for a touchdown.
While the rookie committed
two turnovers, he still looked more confident and decisive than Rush. However, neither quarterback will likely take the field next week. Michael Penix Jr. is expected to make his debut against the Green Bay Packers in Week 3.
Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski started his post-game press conference with an apology to the fans, which is nice but won't stop the groundswell of anger from Sunday's embarrassing performance.
NFL world reacts to Falcons' loss to Panthers
Here's how those around the NFL reacted to the Falcons' 34-3 loss to the Panthers in Week 2.
QB situation in Atlanta infecting/spreading to the entire team. Awful showing today.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) September 20, 2026
Cooper Rush hasn’t played well since the Pilgrims landed, but some how. He keeps landing jobs. He’s terrible don’t care what NFL execs think.
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) September 20, 2026
Drake London voicing his frustration on the #Falcons sideline. pic.twitter.com/tmOObjymkk
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) September 20, 2026
Greatest QBs of all time:
— NFL Memes (@NFLMemes) September 20, 2026
1. Tom Brady
2. Joe Montana
3. Bryce Young playing the Falcons pic.twitter.com/da9CfnUcMi
Defense has been on the field all day and has had terrible field position. Outside that drive it’s hard to put any of this on them https://t.co/kNXfF8h8aU
— Tre’Shon (@tre3shon) September 20, 2026
Unserious franchise. https://t.co/3S5clQ3xvU
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) September 20, 2026
Safety Jessie Bates on the crowd's negative reactions on Sunday.
— Will McFadden (@willmcfadden) September 20, 2026
“This city is prideful. I’ve been here for four years now, and they want to win. This locker room understands that. This organization deserves to win. This city deserves to win. So, [I] understand the…
"I do not have an update right now." Kevin Stefanski on Michael Penix Jr.
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) September 20, 2026
Can y’all hear boos on TV?
— Tish (@tish________) September 20, 2026
Falcons announced offensive starters, here’s the reception for Cooper Rush. pic.twitter.com/1QhHFrbzbG
— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) September 20, 2026
Through two games, the Falcons have not reached the red zone. They are the only team in the league to have not done so to this point. Asked what he attributes this to, Kevin Stefanski said: "Turning the ball over."
— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) September 20, 2026
"You have to maintain your drives, obviously."
https://t.co/fh0uT8xEfJ pic.twitter.com/UfnIy9tJ1d
— Sandra Golden (@sportsandra) September 20, 2026
If the plan was always for Penix to return Week 3, Kevin Stefanski becomes even harder to evaluate.
— Jason Kandel (@TheJasonKandel) September 20, 2026
Stefanski didn't plan for Tua to tweak his back two days before the season started. Cooper Rush was never supposed to see the field, but the loyalty to him is very odd.
I'm also…
Panthers/Falcons has truly had some of the most special turnovers I've ever seen
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) September 20, 2026
The main characters of H.P. Lovecraft novels saw fewer horrors than Falcons fans
— The Falcoholic (@TheFalcoholic) September 20, 2026
Aaaaand Jack Stand’s first NFL pass is a pick-6 to Devin Lloyd.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 20, 2026
Atlanta QB play is in hell.pic.twitter.com/Fz63U54tvI https://t.co/EpXIdvZ6ab
Where did he get this sign from man pic.twitter.com/HI6LzQmdy8
— Reggie Chatman Jr. (@ReggieChatman) September 20, 2026
Today was the first time the #Falcons offense has started off a game with turnovers on back-to-back drives since 2007 (also against the Panthers), per ESPN Research.
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) September 20, 2026
The Falcons team passer rating: 38.2
— Onyx Odds (@OnyxOdds) September 20, 2026
The Falcons team passer rating if they spiked the ball into the ground on every play: 39.6 pic.twitter.com/1qzePTiauQ
Stefanski did not confirm Penix's return for Week 3, but we expect to get an update on the quarterback's status on Monday. Atlanta will face the Green Bay Packers on the road on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFL world reacts to Falcons' 34-3 loss to Carolina Panthers
