Carolina Panthers Offense Finally Shows Balance in Win Over Atlanta Falcons
The Carolina Panthers earned a season sweep over the division rival Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and Dave Canales’s offense delivered its most complete performance of the year.
Don’t look now, but Canales’s Panthers now sit with the same number of wins as the NFC South–leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carolina’s up-and-down season continued with a 30–27 overtime win in Atlanta, a game in which the Panthers stormed back from a 21–7 second-quarter deficit. The victory marks the team’s first sweep of the Falcons since 2013.
Bryce Young had the best outing of his young career, throwing for a personal-high 448 yards and three touchdowns as the Panthers compiled 486 total yards. Carolina ran 75 offensive plays; while Young was involved in 50 of them (45 passes and five sacks), Canales still committed to the run with 25 rushing attempts.
Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer noted an important trend in the passing attack:
Even though rookie Tetairoa McMillan was Young’s top target with 12 looks, four other players — Xavier Legette, Rico Dowdle, Jalen Coker, and Ja’Tavion Sanders — each received at least four targets. McMillan posted career highs in receptions (8), yards (130), and touchdowns (2). It was his first game over 100 yards since Week 2, and the two scores matched his total from his first 10 contests.
The offensive explosion was a stark turnaround from the previous week, when Carolina posted season lows in plays (50), yards (175), and points (7). While Atlanta’s defense hasn’t been particularly strong this year, the Panthers still executed at a high level — and despite taking five sacks, Young avoided fumbling and the team finished without a turnover for just the third time in 11 games.
The question now is whether Carolina can build on this rhythm and efficiency. The Panthers averaged 6.5 yards per snap and converted three of five fourth-down attempts. The challenge ramps up significantly this week as they head to San Francisco for a Monday night matchup.
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