I’m not sure how often an NFL team loses a game in which they did not punt once – but it happened on Sunday. While the Carolina Panthers have been long eliminated from playoff contention, their divisional foe Atlanta Falcons had a potential postseason berth hanging in the balance on Sunday afternoon. To be clear, the Falcons did all they could – Bryce Young and the Panthers just did more.
It’s no secret that the Panthers struggle on the defensive side of the ball, requiring the offense to operate at maximum efficiency to come away with a win. They did just that. Young was electric, rushing for two touchdowns and passing for three more. Carolina put up touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second half before punting near the end of regulation. Young’s counterpart, rookie Michael Penix, Jr was equally impressive. In just his third NFL start, Penix threw for 312 yards, two touchdowns, and had one interception.
With Young and Penix trading haymakers and dismantling one another’s defenses at will, the game ultimately came down to the coin toss. Carolina won the toss, marched down field and ended the game with a Miles Sanders rushing touchdown to up their win total to 5 on the season. In his first game back from injured reserve, Sanders rushed for 66 yards and the game-winning touchdown. He scored earlier in the game on a 33 yard touchdown reception from Young. Tommy Tremble and David Moore hauled in the other two touchdown passes.
On the other side of the field, the Falcons had a field day – namely Bijan Robinson and Drake London. Robinson rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries while London also added two scores with 10 catches for 187 yards. Penix, Jr. rounded out the scoring with a rushing touchdown. Overall the Panthers amassed 425 total net yards to the Falcons’ 537. It was an impressive outing for Penix, Jr. whose lone error came when Mike Jackson intercepted his pass and returned it to Atlanta’s 19 yard line to set up a go-ahead touchdown early in the third quarter.
Young finished with 251 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-34 passing and added 24 more on the ground along with two rushing touchdowns. The win is another step in the incremental improvement fans and management alike hoped for in Carolina. While 5-12 shows there is still a ways to go, three close losses to eventual playoff teams showed that the team is trending in. a positive direction.
