Panthers valiant effort falls short , lose to Atlanta Falcons 31-24
For the Carolina Panthers, it was close but no cigar.
It is safe to say there was not a lack of offense in this game. The Carolina Panthers who were down in Sunday’s game early, made a valiant comeback but it was not enough.
In the first quarter, it was all about the field goals. Graham Gano got the party started for the good guys, nailing a 54-yard field goal and giving the Panthers a 3-0 lead. Matt Bryant answered for the Falcons as he hit a deep field goal of his own, this one from 44 yards to tie the game at the 5:46 mark in the first frame.
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In the second quarter, both offenses opened up a bit more. Cam Newton connected with Jarius Wright for a five-yard touchdown over the middle to give the Panthers a 10-3 lead following a Gano extra point. The lead did not last long however as the Falcons continued to be resilient. Calvin Ridley tied the game for Atlanta as he received an 11-yard pass for a touchdown via the arm of Matt Ryan at the 4:08 mark. They were not done however, as they entered the locker room on a high note. Ryan connected with tight end Austin Hooper to give the Falcons a 24-10 lead and the Panthers headed to the locker room knowing there was a lot of work to be done.
The third quarter was a defensive battle for both teams and unfortunately for the Panthers, Ryan was the only one that could score in the quarter. He took the ball across the pylon from a yard out at the 9:44 mark in the third quarter to make it a 24-10 game. Other than that, it was pretty quiet on the scoring front, which was good for the Panthers as a two-touchdown game was certainly within reach.
The fourth quarter is when the Carolina Panthers began their valiant comeback. Torrey Smith ended a successful drive at the 11:27 mark of the third quarter to make it a 24-17 game in favor of the Falcons. The Falcons would strike back yet again however as it Ryan was showing off his scrambling skills. He took the ball to the pylon from eight yards out to help the Falcons eclipse the 30-point mark and make it a 31-17 game.
However, this game was not all bad despite the loss. There was a D.J. Moore sighting. It came at the 2:30 mark in the fourth quarter as Newton connected with the Maryland product on a 51-yard bomb to make it a 31-24 game. That was how the final score would read as the Panther comeback fell short. Many fans were hoping they would see Moore the week before and they finally got their wish. At least, that was a positive.
Newton had a great game going 32-of-45 for 335 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He was the team’s leading rusher with five attempts for 42 yards. Christian McCaffrey was the leading receiver in this game has he caught 14 passes for 102 yards. Luke Kuechly paced the defense as he had eight tackles in this one, building off a strong performance from the week before.
The Falcons will play the New Orleans Saints next Sunday while the Panthers will take on the Bengals in a game they hope will put them over the .500 mark.