We’ll have a round-up of the day’s games - and playoff picture - in just a moment. In the meantime, thanks for your company this evening.
There’s some time to play in the remaining games but Seattle look like locks for the first seed in the NFC - they’re leading St Louis 20-6 with two mintues to go. Green Bay are all but champions of the NFC North - they’re leading the Lions 28-14.
And the Falcons’ pain continues:
Bad loss and more...bad. Sewage system broke near the Falcons locker room inside Georgia Dome.
— Britt McHenry (@BrittMcHenry) December 29, 2014
A completely deserved win for the Panthers, who ran all over the Falcons at the start before their defense took control - Ryan was simply given no time to set his feet.
And that’s it! Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons. CAROLINA ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 0:50, 4th quarter
On 4th and 9, Toilolo picks up 11 yards and the Falcons continue to fight. They just need to score 28 points in a little under a minute. Easy.
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 2:40, 4th quarter
The Panthers go for it on 4th and 8 because, why not? Whittaker’s run is ended four-yards short of the first down, much to the annoyance of everyone who wants to see this monstrosity of a game end as soon as possible. There are now 14 people in the crowd, 13 of them Panthers fans, the other person someone who got lost on the way to lunch.
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 3:40, 4th quarter
The Panthers amble into Falcons territory. Aaron Rodgers has just crossed for a rushing touchdown against the Lions - it looks like the Packers have wrapped up the NFC North.
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 5:00, 4th quarter
The Panthers are running everything now - good news for people who still need to do their Sunday night laundry after the game finishes.
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 8:00, 4th quarter
So, it’s looking like the Panthers will play the Cardinals next week, who are curently losing to the 49ers. You wouldn’t bet against the Panthers at home, would you?
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 11:00, 4th quarter
Ryan is sacked on 4th and 18. He’s now been sacked six times on the day. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the Falcons are now well E-F-F-E-D
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 11:18, 4th quarter
Right, the Seahawks are now 13-6 up, and it’s difficult to imagine St Louis staging a dramatic comeback. The NFC No1 seed looks locked in.
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 12:07, 4th quarter
I would say the Falcons stadium is now 40% full. A good judge of probabilities, those Falcons fans. Jones drops a catch in the end zone and the stadium is now 39% full.
Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 12:50, 4th quarter
Atlanta rumble up the field, Hester stoops for a catch and suddenly - what’s this? - the Falcons are in Panthers territory.
This is the first time the Panthers have had two defensive touchdowns in a single game. The Falcons play U2 in an attempt to rev their team up. This may be one of their problems.
TOUCHDOWN! Carolina Panthers 34-3 Atlanta Falcons 0:23, 3rd quarter
The Falcons pick up six yards on 3rd and 8 and they’ll go for it - they don’t have much choice. Top marks for aggression, no marks for execution. Ryan is AGAIN under pressure and the Panthers get their second defensive TD of the game (and year) with an 84-yard interception return.
Carolina Panthers 27-3 Atlanta Falcons 1:36, 3rd quarter
Ooof. Another near interception from Ryan, he’s hit again and his wobbly throw is almost picked off. The Panthers call time out on 2nd and 15 with the Falcons on Carolina’s 46.
Carolina Panthers 27-3 Atlanta Falcons 2:49, 3rd quarter
Seattle are now level with St Louis, amd moving towards No1 seed in the NFC. Green Bay, however, are ahead of Detroit. Meanwhile, the Falcons are showing some fight. “Showing some fight” in this instance meaning “getting a first down”. Julio Jones is the man who earns it with a 20-yard reception. Then, ahhhhh, it’s another pick six. No! The comeback is on! It’s pass interference and first down to Falcons. The comeback is still on! Maybe.
Carolina Panthers 27-3 Atlanta Falcons 5:59, 3rd quarter
Cam Newton pretty much has his hands in his pockets and is whistling a jaunty tune right now. The tune being “We’re in the playoffs, la-la-la, we’re in the playoffs, ha-ha-ha.” Lyrics aren’t his strong point. The Falcons do record a three and out though. They’ll start deep in their own territory after a 72-yard (woah!) punt.
Carolina Panthers 27-3 Atlanta Falcons 7:31, 3rd quarter
The Lions have tied the game against Green Bay. Matt Flynn’s not going to stay on the field now, right? Falcons are forced to punt. They fail to get into Panthers territory again. Ryan just can’t get away from the pressure the Panthers’ defense is putting him under.
FIELD GOAL! Carolina Panthers 27-3 Atlanta Falcons 10:20, 3rd quarter
The Falcons stop the Panthers from getting into the end zone, but Carolina edge that little bit further towards the playoffs. And they had already gone pretty far before that.
Worry no longer, Packers fans.
Rodgers back out on the field.
— SI NFL (@si_nfl) December 28, 2014
Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons 10:46, 3rd quarter
An excellent throw from Newton helps Benjamin past 1,000 yards in his rookie season. Not too bad at all. At the other end of the age spectrum, a man old enough to be his father - if he matured freakishly early. I mean freakishly early - Jerricho Cotchery picks up another 18 yards with a nice catch. We’re on the Atlanta 30.
Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons 12:20, 3rd quarter
The Panthers start on their own 41. That smell wafting around Cam Newton’s nostrils right now is the playoffs.
Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons 13:20, 3rd quarter
Good news for the Falcons! They start the second half. Bad news for the Falcons! They’re 24-3 down. Worse news for the Falcons! Ryan just got sacked and their offensive line appears to be made out of paper! Worst news for the Falcons! The paper has blown away! Ryan sacked again! The Falcons will punt.
Scores around the NFL:
Carolina 24-3 Falcons
Oakland 7-20 Denver
Detroit 7-14 Green Bay
St Louis 6-0 Seattle
Arizona 17-13 San Francisco
At the moment, by my calculations, the Packers will claim top seed in the NFC if scores stay the same. They’d get the bye week, which could come in handy if Rodgers’s injury is serious.
Updated
Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons. End of 2nd quarter
The Panthers take no risks going into half-time and rund down the clocks. There are boos in the stadium from the Falcons fans.
Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons 0:51, 2nd quarter
Third and 6 for the Falcons, looking to score before half-time and keep their season alive-ish. Ryan is under pressure though and they’ll have to punt. Carolina have all their time outs too and will start on their own 10. Meanwhile, bad news for Green Bay:
Rodgers has a calf injury, per the team, and his return is questionable.
— SI NFL (@si_nfl) December 28, 2014
Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons 1:37, 2nd quarter
And if anyone fancies making some money [LEGAL NOTE: The Guardian does not encourage gambling on bad teams. Even if they look good against other bad teams]:
Tempted to put $5 on the Panthers to win the Super Bowl right now on the off chance I'll make enough to pay off my many debts. @tom_lutz
— Hunter Felt (@HunterFelt) December 28, 2014
TOUCHDOWN! Carolina Panthers 24-3 Atlanta Falcons 1:47, 2nd quarter
Newton burrows, barrels and generally employs lots of other impressive verbs starting with B as he gets into the endzone. With plenty of help from his offensive line.
Carolina Panthers 17-3 Atlanta Falcons 1:54, 2nd quarter
Just to make things trickier for themselves, the Falcons give up a penalty and start at their own 12. Ryan, who has missed on his last four throws, soon finds himself at 3rd and 6. He finds Hester for 12 yards and they continue to brea...
Ah. White fumbles and the Panthers snaffle the ball. The Falcons may well have stopped breathing. But at least they’re going out with the fantastic incompetence we’ve come to expect from the NFC South. The play is under review but the fumble and recovery stand - the Panthers will start on the Atlanta 5.
Updated
TOUCHDOWN! Carolina Panthers 17-3 Atlanta Falcons 4:18, 2nd quarter
Falcons pick it up on their own 25 after the Panthers are forced to punt. It doesn’t start too well, with Ryan sacked. Then gets worse as he throws a pick six. Ryan is under huge pressure and Harper takes a stooping catch that he runs back to leave the Falcons in deep trouble.
Carolina Panthers 10-3 Atlanta Falcons 6:07, 2nd quarter
In more positive news for the Cardinals, Lindley does have his first career touchdown [mumbles] to go with his eight interceptions. You’re only as good as your last throw though, right? A 28 yard throw to Brown helps the Panthers to their own 47. Their running game, so dominant in the first quarter, is slowing down though
Carolina Panthers 10-3 Atlanta Falcons 8:11, 2nd quarter
Just in case you think that the winner of this game is doomed in the playoffs, they could be facing Arizona in the postseason. That Ryan Lindley’s Arizona. Falcons can’t do anything with the ball and punt. Panthers will start on their own 15.
Carolina Panthers 10-3 Atlanta Falcons 9:40, 2nd quarter
Benjamin drops another one, his second easy-ish catch of the day. Cam picks up the baton though and makes nine yards with his feet. On third and one, though, his pass is batted down by Trufant and the Panthers punt. Falcons will start at their own 30.
FIELD GOAL! Carolina Panthers 10-3 Atlanta Falcons 10:41, 2nd quarter
INCOMPETENCE ALERT! Di Marco has an area the size of South Sudan to run into as he trots towards the end zone. He then attempts to catch the ball with his helmet, which is really tricky because helmets don’t have hands. The Falcons end the drive with a field goal.
Carolina Panthers 10-0 Atlanta Falcons 11:23, 2nd quarter
Around the league:
Oakland 7-10 Denver, Detroit 0-7 Green Bay, St Louis 3-0 Seattle, Arizona 7-7 San Fran.
Harry Douglas takes a short throw to the two-yard line.
Carolina Panthers 10-0 Atlanta Falcons 13:16, 2nd quarter
Kuechly then stops some of that momentum with a typically thunderous tackle to make it 2nd and 11. Meanwhile, we have an ELITE QUARTERBACK ALERT! The CBS team has just confirmed that’s what Ryan is. In response to my snarky comments Ryan then wriggles out of a tackle to throw for a first down. And earns millions of dollars. And has a thrilling, fulfilling job. So there, me. Ball on the Carolina 28.
Carolina Panthers 10-0 Atlanta Falcons 15:00, 2nd quarter
Hester pulls off some brilliance to give the Falcons some much needed energy, pinging off tackles on a 66-yard kickoff return.
TOUCHDOWN! Carolina Panthers 10-0 Atlanta Falcons 0:10, 1st quarter
2nd and 4 on the Atlanta five. Newton drifts back, and throws to Dickson who bounces over into the endzone. All too easy for the Panthers at the moment.
Updated
Carolina Panthers 3-0 Atlanta Falcons 1:30, 1st quarter
Brown picks up 28 yards on an end around. The Panthers’ running game looks good today - they already have 83 rushing yards. Nine more for Cam and they’re on the Atlanta 22.
Carolina Panthers 3-0 Atlanta Falcons 3:25, 1st quarter
The Packers lead the Lions 7-0. Meanwhile, in Atlanta ... MORE INCOMPETENCE! Hooray! Benjamin drops an easy catch - he would have been away for a touchdwn if he’d held on to it.
Thoughts from the Guardian’s very own Jeb Lund on next year’s Draft.
I hope The Buccaneers draft Jameis Winston and permanently remove that periodic sensation I have to root for them.
— Jeb Lund (@Mobute) December 28, 2014
Carolina Panthers 3-0 Atlanta Falcons 4:57, 1st quarter
That’s more like it! Matt Ryan nearly throws a pick: this is the kind of ineptitude we expect from the NFC South. Falcons punt and the Panthers take the fair catch on, oooh, their own 13.
Carolina Panthers 3-0 Atlanta Falcons 6:19, 1st quarter
Matt Ryan starts at the 20. Rather disappointing that the first drive of a travesty of a playoff decider actually resulted in points. A field goal, but still points. Anyway, Roddy White picks up two receptions and we’re on the Carolina 45.
FIELD GOAL! Carolina Panthers 3-0 Atlanta Falcons 8:30, 1st quarter
On 3rd and 9, Cam powers forward but is a yard short of moving the chains. The short field goal is good.
Carolina Panthers 0-0 Atlanta Falcons 8:50, 1st quarter
Newton is showing no after-effects from that car crash - he sustained back fractures in the accident - and picks up 20 yards with his feet. Meanwhile, some people aren’t that impressed with Geno’s perfect day.
We’re on the Atlanta 10 now
@tom_lutz Less of the Geno was great today- Miami secondary took the day off. Jets need a QB like I need a life
— EnglishNick (@PlymouthNick) December 28, 2014
Note that Nick offsets his insults with some nice self-deprecation, just in case Geno gets upset.
Carolina Panthers 0-0 Atlanta Falcons 15:00, 1st quarter
And we’re off in our featured game. The Panthers start at the 20 and they get off to a zingy opening with an 18-yard throw to Greg Olsen. He only needs one more yard to bring up 1,000 yards for the season. And next play he goes to 1,007 with an eight-yard reception. A Stewart run takes the ball – and Stewart, come to think of it – to the Carolina 47.
Updated
An email! “Of course Geno played brilliantly today,” writes Rob Coster. “It gives Jets fans just enough hope that things will be different next season before he throws nine interceptions in his first game of 2015. And the Jets go 2-14. And still miss the first pick in the Draft.” In more Jets news, Woody Johnson was asked about Rex’s future after the game. “Today’s all about the players,” he replied. Which is owner speak for “I feel a firing coming on”.
Updated
And the Ravens are in the playoffs after they beat the Browns and the Chiefs beat the Chargers.
Playoffs here we come. https://t.co/fKwUK43HSY
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 28, 2014
Rex Ryan is looking very chipper on the sidelines at the Dolphins, they’re heading to a 37-24 win over the Dolphins. It’s fairly obvious the players want Rex to stay - I think Woody Johnson would be making a big mistake to sack him. Geno Smith, meanwhile, has shown that he can pull off big games at quarterback. Admittedly in meaningless games.
Right. The Titans have lost to the Colts. They’re now guaranteed the No1 pick next year. The Bucks also tank... failed to beat the Saints and with have the second pick. The Colts will move up to third seed in the AFC in the unlikely event the Steelers and Bengals tie this evening.
Talking of people getting sacked, Justin Houston and JJ Watt both have three sacks today - meaning Houston is on course to lead the league this season with [does complex maths] 21. Watt is due to end with [does even harder maths involving fractions] 20.5.
So, what’s happening so far on the final day of the playoffs. Well:
1) The Patriots (a weakened, we’ve rested everyone Patriots, mind) lost to the Bills. They had already secured the top seed in the AFC though.
2) San Diego are losing to the Chiefs. With the Ravens currently beating the Browns, that means the Ravens would get in at the Chargers expense.
3) The Titans are currently losing comfortably to the Colts, meaning they look like they’ve got Marcus Mar... the first pick of the Draft.
4) Geno Smith is actually having a good game for the Jets! He has a perfect passer rating and three touchdowns, including a big one to Eric Decker who has over 200 yards receiving. Will it be enough to save Rex Ryan’s job? Probably not. Hang on? Eric Decker too?
Hello! And welcome to live coverage of two bad teams battling it out to see who can pass themselves off as a good team. Neither team can end the season with a record above .500 but a victory will send the winner to a home playoff game. Where they will be destroyed.
So, who will triumph? Well, despite the Falcons’ struggles this season, Matt Ryan has been in good form with 28 touchdowns against 12 interceptions this season. His team also looked good while beating the Saints last week. Then again, that’s the same Saints who are currently being handed a beating by the shambling shambles that are the Bucs.
The Panthers, meanwhile, are on a roll with three victories in a row. Cam Newton has recovered from a recent car crash and a wobbly period in October and November when he was picked seven times in four games. Still, I think they’ve just about got the momentum to carry them through today.
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