Falcons at Panthers
Kickoff: 1 p.m., Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
TV: Fox
Records: Falcons 1-1, Panthers 0-2
Outlook: After the Falcons’ win last week at Minnesota, they’re looking to move to 2-1 with a matchup against the Panthers, who are rebuilding with quarterback Bryce Young. The Falcons’ defense will be a focal point, as it created a significant pass rush in the win over the Vikings.
Check out live updates from the matchup from our AJC staff:
It's a dud. Absolutely a dud.
Nobody saw this coming. The Falcons' offense fizzled, and the Panthers looked like the more experienced team that has higher expectations for this season.
The Falcons are 1-2, with plenty of questions moving forward about what the reasonable expectations are for this season. Playoffs? Not with a game like that.
It's going to be on quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to get the offense on the right track, and the defense has looked better than the offense so far. That's significant, given that there were more questions about the defense and how good they would be.
There's not going to be much that the Falcons can take from this loss. It's stunning in the fact that they couldn't get anything going offensively, and they just didn't handle adversity well in the first half. The Falcons struggled against the Vikings last week, but they still put points on the board.
It's been a whole different story this week.
The Falcons gave up the ball on a turnover on downs and the Panthers capitalized, adding a field goal to make it a 20-0 margin.
It's another tough possession for the defense, which has played well, all things considered. They've held Carolina to a couple of field goals, aside from the opening drive for a touchdown.
The Falcons were deep in their own territory and Michael Penix Jr. was checking down to his shortest option. Not bad, in a vacuum, but Chau Smith-Wade stepped in front of the pass and returned the interception 14 yards for a Panthers touchdown.
Penix didn't see the defender, and it was an ill-advised throw, as he was looking to his right and then almost-blindly threw to his left. It was an easy catch and return for Smith-Wade and all Robinson could do was watch.
The offense seems to be out of sorts and has little calm to it.
The Falcons' offense looked disjointed and uneven and the defense didn't resemble what brought so much optimism in last week's win.
Still, they only trail the Panthers, 10-0, at halftime.
The Falcons had two missed field goals — a 49-yarder and 55-yarder — in the first quarter.
Although they had a good offensive flow on the first drive, with Michael Penix Jr. leading the drive with three first-down throws, they didn't capitalize on that momentum.
The Panthers pushed the lead to 10-0 with a 57-yard field goal at the 5:24 mark of the second quarter. It's been a tough first half for the Falcons, who haven't had a ton of success on either side of the ball.
The Falcons' offense has two touchdowns this season on seven trips to the red zone, which is ... suboptimal.
Not a missed field goal, but it's a short-circuited drive that ended with a punt.
That's been a bugaboo this season, with good possessions ending with settling for field goals or punts. If there's a big area for improvement, it's in finishing those drives with consistency.
The Falcons have had their share of opportunities in Panthers territory, but they haven't been able to convert to this point.
The Falcons got lucky with a muffed punt return and got the ball at the Panthers' 33 -- very much a gift.
They went three-and-out and had to settle for a 55-yard field goal attempt.
One guess on how that turned out.
It's not so much new kicker Parker Romo as it is the kicking situation. After the Falcons release Younghoe Koo on Saturday, it showed a sense of confidence in Romo, who has missed a 49-yarder and a 55-yarder today, after going 5-for-5 last week.
There should be concern -- both for the offense, in general, and now the kicking game again.
As good as the Falcons' defense was last week, that didn't quite show up on the first drive for the Panthers, as Bryce Young looked spectacular, throwing for a 23-yard gain on fourth down, then running for a 4-yard touchdown to put Carolina ahead.
Coming off the Falcons' empty possession, it was a huge turnaround in momentum, which will put pressure on the Falcons to answer.
The Falcons' opening drive was all good until ...
Yeah, a missed 49-yard field goal by Parker Romo ended what was a positive start for the Falcons' offense, which drove down the field behind Michael Penix Jr., who had three first-down passes.
There was so much more focus on the run game last week, and seeing Penix be unlocked in the passing game was a positive development. It's disheartening to see them to finish with no points on the opening drive, but the versatility in the offense is a good takeaway.
About the Author
