The Carolina Panthers scored 37 points against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and still lost. But their path to a Week 2 success against the Atlanta Falcons might be surprisingly simple.
Protect the football.
If Carolina can protect the football, it could put plenty of pressure on an Atlanta offense that struggled to move the ball in Week 1. They have Cooper Rush starting at quarterback, but ball security is paramount on the road.
Carolina Panthers can win in Week 2 against the Falcons by protecting the football
And quarterback Bryce Young knows it.
"We're a team. There's a lot of stuff that was out there that we could have done better," Young said after the loss. "There's a lot of plays that we all take accountability for."
The Panthers don't need another 37-point performance to have a chance in Atlanta. They need to give their offense enough possessions to let those playmakers do their thing.
The Falcons' quarterback situation has been pretty messy all week, but the Panthers now know exactly who will be under center.
Rush will start. Tua Tagovailoa is doubtful with an oblique injury, while Michael Penix Jr. has been ruled out as he continues working his way back from his ACL injury.
That gives Carolina a pretty clear target.
Carolina Panthers must limit Falcons' offensive possessions on the road
But Rush isn't the only thing the Panthers need to worry about.
Bijan Robinson had 173 of Atlanta's 263 scrimmage yards in Week 1, finishing with 83 rushing yards and 90 receiving yards. The Panthers just allowed Chicago to run for 291 yards, so stopping the dual-threat weapon will be a completely different problem.
But if Carolina can force Atlanta into obvious passing situations, the Panthers have a chance to make Rush uncomfortable. And that's where taking care of the football becomes so important.
Because every Panthers turnover gives Atlanta another chance to lean on Robinson.
The Panthers also don't need to chase turnovers themselves. If they can simply avoid giving Atlanta extra possessions, that should be enough to swing the game against this Falcons team.
Young and the offense showed in Week 1 that they can move the ball. Now they need to finish drives and hold onto it. That's a pretty simple formula.
If they clean up the mistakes, make Rush operate in obvious passing situations, and force Atlanta to drive the length of the field, this matchup could look very different from Carolina's season opener.
The Panthers don't need to play a perfect game in Week 2. They just need to stop making things harder on themselves.
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