The Carolina Panthers were pushing towards an undefeated regular season and almost reached that milestone. However the Atlanta Falcons would bring that hype to a screeching halt with their 20-13 win in Atlanta on Sunday.
Even though the Panthers are now 14-1 there seems to be a growing “I told you so” sentiment towards how good this Charlotte team really is. With one regular season game left and the playoffs looming, it will be interesting to see how this game impacts the team going forward.
The Falcons succeeded where other teams failed throughout the year and they did so in multiple ways.
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Even though Carolina was able to earn more than 155 yards rushing; Atlanta kept the ball out of the Panthers’ hands for much of the game. The Falcons overall time of possession was more than ten minutes longer than that for Carolina. This point speaks to a multitude of other areas that snowballed towards the Panthers taking this first loss.
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For example, the Falcons defense did a number on the Panthers’ passing game. Cam Newton was held to his second lowest yardage total of the year. And the Panthers earned only 113 yards through the air which is the second lowest team total of the year. But what is more important is that his average per completion was only 4.73 yards, which means the Falcons were able to keep the Panthers in front of them and unable to break open big plays.
Third-down conversions were another big part of this game, on both sides of the ball. Defensively Carolina could not get off of the field as the Falcons completed 9 of 15 attempts. Unfortunately, the Panthers finished only 4 of 10 attempts when put in that position.
The entire conversation surrounding the Falcons ability to defeat the Panthers hinges on the control that the defense was able to assert on the offense. This is the first game of the year in which the perceived limitations on the passing game played direct implications in the outcome. None of the Panthers receivers left with more than 40 yards receiving or a touchdown through the air.
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Adjustments are a key aspect of professional sports. Teams are expected to make frequent shifts throughout the season to cover up any weaknesses within the organization. The Atlanta Falcons successfully contained the Carolina Panthers by shutting down the passing attack that has burned every other team this year. Now, the minds behind the Panthers’ offense must formulate new options to keep Greg Olsen, Ted Ginn Jr., Jerricho Cotchery and others threatening the opposing defense during each play.