The Panthers laid an egg today against the Falcons. They were shut out in the first half and wound up losing by a score of 29-3.
Here are a few takeaways from the embarrassing loss.
Kyle Allen had his worst game yet
On Carolina’s first possession of the game, Allen made a terrible mistake by trying to get rid of the ball as he was getting taken down by Takk McKinley. De’Vondre Campbell picked off his ill-advised pass. Allen followed that error up by making another grotesque throw in the end zone, mirroring the interception he threw last week against the Packers. Allen finished the afternoon with four picks and completed just 31 of his 50 passes. It may be time to consider giving Will Grier a chance to show what he can do.
The offensive line was awful
Right tackle Taylor Moton got off to an awful start in the first quarter allowing pressure on Kyle Allen. The Panthers subbed Daryl Williams in, but he didn’t do much better, immediately giving up a sack to McKinley. They put Moton back in and the hits kept coming. The problems weren’t limited to just right tackle, either. Greg Little also struggled on the blind side and the entire line in general did a bad job of protecting Allen. Atlanta posted five sacks and 10 quarterback hits total.
Donte Jackson got destroyed by Calvin Ridley
James Bradberry did his job against Julio Jones again – keeping the Falcons’ superstar receiver in check. (Jones was being defended by Luke Kuechly on his only big play). Unfortunately, Jackson could not contain Ridley in coverage at all. Ridley roasted Jackson on several deep routes, racking up eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown. It’s fair to wonder if Jackson wasn’t 100% recovered from his hip injury, which may have been a factor.
The Panthers finally stopped the run
About the only thing that went right defensively in this one was Carolina finally managing to stop the run. Head coach Ron Rivera switched to more four-man fronts, which helped contain Atlanta’s backup running backs Brian Hill, Kenjon Barner and Qadree Ollison. The Falcons totaled just 54 rushing yards, averaging 2.1 yards per carry.
D.J. Moore is still going strong
Another positive for the Panthers today was the continued strong play of second-year wide receiver D.J. Moore. He followed up good games against Tennessee and Green Bay with eight catches for 95 yards against Atlanta. There are tons of other problems to address, but at least Carolina’s decision-makers have found themselves a true No. 1 wide receiver.
The playoff dream is pretty much over
While they’re far from mathematically eliminated, the Panthers’ chances of making the playoffs were practically ended with this loss. They’re now 5-5 on the season and still have two games to play against the Saints and another against the Seahawks. Both have dominated them in recent years and this doesn’t look like a team that’s capable of flipping the script on a contender. An 8-8 finish might be the best this team can hope for. That’s just not going to get it done in a competitive wild card race.
