The Panthers played the role of spoiler and denied the Falcons the opportunity to qualify for the playoffs. The Carolina Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons in an overtime thriller that featured a quarterback battle that could prove to be a classic NFC South matchup over the next decade.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Falcons signal caller Michael Penix Jr., who are in their first and second year, respectively, combined for eight touchdowns in the shootout. The Panthers won by six, 44-38, thanks to a rushing touchdown by Miles Sanders in overtime.
The loss capped a crushing downfall for Atlanta, which led the division at 6-3 before a decline under first-year coach Raheem Morris. The loss to Young and the Panthers left the usually upbeat Morris with bitter feelings.
“I was really fired up about the direction we were going,” Morris said of the team’s strong start to the season. “We took a step back today, a huge step.”
Carolina (5-12) was playing for pride and draft position to a lesser degree. The Falcons (8-9) fought for a coveted playoff spot as well as homefield advantage in the Wild Card round, but needed things to fall in the right order. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-19 win over the New Orleans Saints eliminated the Falcons as the overtime period began.
Young had another career game. He threw for 251 yards with three touchdown passes and found the end zone twice using his legs. Undrafted rookie receiver Jalen Coker was Young’s favorite target on the day with seven catches for 62 yards receiving. Sanders led the Panthers with 66 yards rushing.
“Everyone understood, you know, we were playing for ourselves,” Young said, adding that coach Dave Canales “talked about finish all week. This is such a great opportunity for us to go and prove what we can do.”
Embed from Getty ImagesPenix, whose confidence keeps growing and growing, had 312 yards passing and two touchdowns in his third start of the season since the veteran Kirk Cousins. He also scored one rushing touchdown. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was a man amongst boys with 170 yards rushing and two scores. Receiver Drake London brought his A game, hauling in 10 receptions for 187 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
“The main message all week was we come out here and win this game and whatever happens in the other game, you know, we can’t control that,” Penix said. “So, we just had to come out here and, you know, dominate and get this win and we fell short of that.”
Atlanta’s 38 points gave the Panthers a stunning 534 points allowed on the season, which breaks an NFL record previously held by the Baltimore Colts in 1981 by a single point.
The ‘W’ leaves the Panthers in one of three positions, either the sixth, seventh, or eighth draft pick. Carolina could have picked as high as No. 2 but they needed a loss plus help elsewhere to achieve that. All but one of the teams picking ahead of them lost in Week 18, meaning the Panthers could not have moved up even with a loss.
The results of the New York Jets (4-12) vs Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders (4-12) vs Los Angeles Chargers games will determine the Panthers’ draft spot. If the Jets are victorious, the San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals game will also factor into Carolina’s draft pick.
Panthers: Carolina can now fulling turn their attention to offseason personnel decisions and the NFL draft which will take place in April, as the Panthers try to end their drought of seven straight losing seasons.
Falcons: Atlanta will plan for next season with Penix while making a decision on former starter Kirk Cousins’ future.
