This was an entertaining game as the Panthers managed to stay in it for most of the game. However, they never took the lead and continually shot themselves in the foot when given the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lead. Let’s dive in.

First quarter

Longtime rivals, the Panthers and Falcons mirrored each other in the first film. The Panthers got three plays on their first drive, but a false start by Ikem Ekwonu left them in a bad down and distance punt. The Falcons responded with a 3 and of their own, leading to the start of the game. The Panthers put together a solid but not pretty 12-play drive that ended when Andy Dalton hit Dionte Johnson on third down for the score. The Falcons responded in kind with their own 12 play, not a pretty but effective drive, capped off by Bijan Robinson driving into the end zone to tie the game. The Panthers got the ball to end the quarter, and in hilarious Panthers fashion, they ended it with a broken play that ended with Dalton gaining two rushing yards.

Second quarter

The drive continued, but ended two plays later when Xavier Legette caught a pass well short of the first down, appearing as if he and Dalton were on different pages. The Falcons started to put together a drive, but ultimately gave the ball away after a catch turned into a fumble by Ray-Ray McCloud. Props to Dave Canales for challenging the original ruling. After a series of runs from Chuba Hubbard, the offense stalled and settled for a field goal to take a 10–7 lead. The Falcons responded on the ensuing drive when Kyle Pitts caught a pass and ran it all the way inside the Panthers’ 10-yard line. Bijan Robinson scored again, and after a penalty on the Panthers, Tyler Allgeier scored on the 2 pt conversion, 15-10 Falcons. The Panthers responded by gaining negative yards and then having a punt blocked, getting a 10-yard penalty against them for good measure, to give the Falcons the ball at the Panthers 27 with plenty of time to add points before half was over. They did add points, as Kirk Cousins ​​hit Drake London shortly after to put the Falcons up 22-10. The Panthers took over with a little time left, and they took advantage. A big pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders and a 20+ yard run by Andy Dalton put the offense in scoring position. We saw a costly penalty from Dionte Johnson, but a Chuba Hubbard completion gave Dalton a chance to score some points. And he did just that, hitting rookie Xavier Legette six times as the Falcons defense tried to reset. The score was 22-17 Falcons, and it was still a game.

Third quarter

The Falcons opened the half swinging, driving the ball all the way to the Panthers 3-yard line. A nice pass breakup by Mike Jackson forced a Falcons field goal, giving them a 25-17 lead. The Panthers responded in kind as they did well to get within scoring distance, but a penalty saw them stalled again. An Eddy Pineiro field goal made the gap 25-20 Falcons. The Falcons fired back again, but were broken up on a missed pass from Kirk Cousins ​​to Kyle Pitts. They kicked a field goal to make the game 28-20.

Fourth quarter

The Panthers built a solid drive by handing the ball off to Chuba Hubbard several times. Then Andy Dalton threw a bad interception to kill the drive. The Falcons quickly took advantage, driving the ball into the Panthers’ redzone, capped off by a rushing touchdown from Tyler Allgeier. 35-20 Falcons. The Panthers took over and did nothing with it as a Dalton misfire on 4th gave the ball right back to the Falcons with 4 minutes left. The Falcons bled the Panthers’ timeouts and kicked a field goal to push the lead to 38-20. Another Andy Dalton interception on the ensuing drive sealed the case.

The Panthers are 1-5 and will face the Commanders next week.