Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds from Week 8 vs. Panthers
Atlanta Falcons studs and duds from a big NFC South win over the Panthers.
The Atlanta Falcons entered a new week of the 2020 NFL regular season in Week 8 coming off of yet another disappointing last-second loss in Week 7.
The Falcons took on the national stage of Thursday Night Football on the road against a divisional opponent who they had already lost to once this season a few weeks ago.
On Thursday, Atlanta hit the road to play the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Carolina.
Unlike the first contest between the two teams in Week 5, the Falcons were able to pull out the 25-17 win against the NFC South opposition and get back into the win column on the year while managing to not give up a lead late in the game.
To kick off the game, Atlanta got off to a nice start behind 16 points in the opening half, holding Carolina to 14 points on its side of the field to grab a two-point lead going into halftime.
In the second half, the Falcons had a lead and many were wondering if they would end up giving up that lead late once again, but they prevailed and held off the Panthers. Atlanta scored three points in the third quarter and added six more in the fourth quarters, holding Carolina to just three second-half points, en route to the eight-point victory.
With the win, the Falcons got back into the win column for the second time this year, improving to 2-6 overall while improving to 2-2 on the road so far in 2020. In the loss, the Panthers fell to 3-5 on the year and dropped to 1-3 overall on their home field, now also having lost three straight games going into next week.
Atlanta will return to the field in Week 9 when it takes on the Denver Broncos on Nov. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta before the Falcons go into their bye week in Week 10. Carolina will get back to action in Week 9 when it hits the road to battle the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City.
With the Thursday night matchup between the Falcons and Panthers now over with, let’s dive into some studs and duds from Atlanta in the game.