Panthers 20 Falcons 38: An entertaining representation of what the Panthers can be but aren't right now

It was an entertaining game as the Panthers managed to stay in the game for most of the game. However, they never took the lead and constantly shot themselves in the foot when they had the chance to make a decisive difference in the lead. Let's dive in.

First quarter

The Panthers and Falcons, as long-time rivals, looked very similar in the first game. The Panthers had three plays on their first drive, but a false start by Ikem Ekwonu set them up for a bad down-and-distance punt. The Falcons responded with a 3 and out to start the game. The Panthers put together a solid, but not exactly pretty, 12-play drive that ended with Andy Dalton hitting Dionte Johnson on third down to make it 1-0. The Falcons responded with their own 12-play game, not pretty but effective, capping the ball off with Bijan Robinson's ride into the end zone to tie the game. The Panthers got the ball to end the quarter and ended it in hilarious fashion 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, it appeared he and Dalton were on different pages. The Falcons began to orchestrate a drive, but ended up giving the ball away after Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled a catch. Thank you to Dave Canales for challenging the original ruling. After a running kick 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 to the Panthers' 10-yard line. Bijan Robinson scored again, and after a penalty against the Panthers, Tyler Allgeier scored on the 2-point conversion, 15-10 for the Falcons. The Panthers responded by gaining negative yards and then fending off a punt, while also incurring a 10-yard penalty to give the Falcons the ball at the Panthers 27 and give them enough time to add points. before halftime was over. They scored points when Kirk Cousins ​​​​scored Drake London moments later to give the Falcons a 22-10 lead. The Panthers took the lead shortly before the end and capitalized on it. A big pass to Ja'Tavion Sanders and a 20-yard run from Andy Dalton put the offense in scoring position. We saw a costly penalty from Dionte Johnson, but a finish to Chuba Hubbard gave Dalton an opportunity to score some points. And that's exactly what he did, hitting rookie Xavier Legette for six as the Falcons' defense tried to reset. The score was 22-17 Falcons, and it was largely a game.

Third quarter

The Falcons opened the half with a flourish, driving the ball 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 accordingly and did well to get within shooting distance, but were stopped again by a penalty. A field goal by Eddy Pineiro brought the Falcons to 25-20. The Falcons fired back again, but were fended off after a bad pass from Kirk Cousins ​​to Kyle Pitts. They scored a field goal and brought the game to 28-20.

Fourth quarter

The Panthers put together a solid performance by passing the ball to Chuba Hubbard several times. Then Andy Dalton threw a bad interception to end the drive. The Falcons quickly capitalized by driving the ball into the Panthers' redzone, where Tyler Allgeier ran for a touchdown. 35-20 Falcons. The Panthers took the lead and didn't do anything with it, as a misfire by Dalton on 4th down put the ball right back to the Falcons with four minutes left. The Falcons took advantage of the Panthers' timeouts and kicked a field goal to push the lead to 38-20. Another interception by Andy Dalton on the ensuing drive sealed the deal.

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