Carolina Panthers remain alive in NFC South after beating Atlanta Falcons

CHARLOTTE (N.C.) — Thursday night’s tilt between Charlotte and the Carolinas was marred by heavy rain caused by Tropical Storm Nicole. Atlanta Falcons And Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers won with a 25-15 victory11 days after the Falcons beat Panthers in a rematch, wild 37-34 overtime game Atlanta

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Carolina Panthers

Don’t be silly, but it is true. Carolina Panthers The NFC South will continue to be relevant. They’ve been terrible, but the division is almost as bad and can be won for a team that’s 3-7 after Thursday’s win over the Falcons. Carolina is just one-half games behind Tampa Bay (4-5), which it has already defeated. The Falcons are just one game behind Atlanta (4-6), with a 1-1 record. Consider that the Panthers boast the best division record (3-1), and their remaining schedule is among the toughest in the NFL. New Orleans (3-6), is the seventh-toughest, and the Bucs are 22nd. Again, don’t laugh. In 2014, a Carolina team of 3-8-1 won its last four games to win the South and then make it into the playoffs.

Trend to watch: The Panthers ran for 169 yards in rushing, their third consecutive win since the trade of star running back Christian McCaffrey After a week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They were averaging 135.7 yards per game, which is 11th in the NFL since Week 7. After running for 232 yards against Atlanta, this number is increasing. D’Onta Foreman This is a major reason. He has rushed for at least 118 yards in three of his games, with the Falcons’ record being 130. Carolina has the potential to play at least one game if it can keep running the ball and playing good defense.

QB breakdown PJ Walker Although he wasn’t a star, he was able to play on a night where the running game was at its peak. He did play well enough to be able to take over the starting position next week against the Baltimore Ravens? He didn’t see tight end Stephen Sullivan The first quarter was wide open and he was lucky to not have to attempt a pass. DJ Moore In the end zone intercepted. Carolina was taken out of field goal range by him for a bad tackle in the first quarter. The Panthers wanted him to be more confident in running, and he seemed to be hesitant. The future is Sam DarnoldThe Panthers may be inclined to give another shot at a quarterback.

Bold prediction for next Week: Darnold, who was activated from injured reserve earlier in this week, is the Panthers’ starter against the Ravens, and Walker is the backup. Darnold can be used as a backup at worst. Baker Mayfield Is either inactive, or has been released. Darnold, who was a starter last season, is a very important player for the team. It will happen, no matter when it is next week or shortly after. He could be a veteran that the team can use to mentor the next quarterback in the 2023 draft.

Next game: at Ravens (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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Atlanta Falcons

Absolutely terrible.

This is the best way to describe Thursday night’s Falcons game. Nothing worked in prime-time this season. Close.

The offense was ineffective. The defense was weak. Kicker was included in special teams. Younghoe Koo He missed two more points for the first-time in his career. Although the Falcons’ loss at the Panthers didn’t seem like a huge blowout, the Falcons looked very unlikely to have a chance in that game.

Atlanta will regret another missed chance to win first place in a division that could have awarded them the first place and brought them back to.500.

Despite the fact that the Falcons aren’t out of anything due to the ineffectiveness and division, this does bring Atlanta back into the NFC South. So. Ugly.

Troubling trend The Marcus Mariota–Kyle Pitts misconnection continued Thursday. On the second play of game, Mariota made contact with Pitts. He couldn’t find his tight stop again until the end of the fourth quarter. Mariota, Pitts and their quarterbacks connected on 51% of their plays — the worst among any quarterback/tight end combination with at most 20 attempts. Thursday’s performance was not much better after only two catches for 28 yard on eight targets.

Biggest gap in the gameplan: Atlanta knew Carolina would run the ball after Atlanta’s game against the Panthers two weeks prior. Foreman had rushed for three touchdowns in the first half. It didn’t matter. The Panthers ran for 232 yards Thursday to completely beat the Atlanta defense. The Falcons even cycled through linebackers during the first period. Rashaan Evans, Mykal Walker And Troy Andersen And it didn’t matter.

QB breakdown More like broken down. Even though his stats aren’t as bad, it was the worst Mariota looked this season. His 19-of-30, 2 touchdowns, 1-interception and 186 yards stat line are below his average, but his play was even worse. His deep passes were not always on target and his decision-making was very poor for the first time since 2022. Multiple low snaps at center did not help. Drew Dalman Mariota’s poor offensive line play and weak pass rush were a few of the reasons for his inept performance.

Silver lining: Cool moment KhaDarel Hodge. Hodge’s fifth NFL season was his 65th. He’s been on four different teams and has career catch No. 41 was his first score.

Next game: Bears vs. ET (11:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)