Panthers stay alive in NFC South with win over Falcons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A dependable rainfall fueled by Tropical Storm Nicole made for immoderate messy conditions successful Thursday night's tilt betwixt the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers came done with a 25-15 victory, 11 days aft the Falcons bushed the Panthers successful a wild 37-34 overtime game astatine Atlanta.

Carolina Panthers

Don't laugh, but the Carolina Panthers stay applicable successful the NFC South. As atrocious arsenic they've been, the part has been astir arsenic atrocious and is winnable for a squad that is 3-7 aft Thursday night's triumph implicit the Falcons. Carolina is lone a game-and-a-half down first-place Tampa Bay (4-5), a squad it has already beaten. It's lone a crippled down Atlanta (4-6) with a 1-1 grounds against the Falcons. And consider, the Panthers person the champion part grounds (3-1) and their remaining docket is the 27th toughest successful the NFL. New Orleans (3-6) has the seventh toughest and the Bucs 22nd. Again, don't laugh. In 2014, a 3-8-1 Carolina squad won its last 4 to triumph the South and past a playoff game.

Promising trend: The Panthers topped 169 yards rushing for the 3rd clip successful 5 games since trading prima moving backmost Christian McCaffrey aft a Week 6 nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Rams. They entered Thursday averaging 135.7 yards, 11th champion successful the NFL, since Week 7. That fig is going up aft the squad rushed for 232 yards against Atlanta, and D'Onta Foreman is simply a large reason. He's had 3 games with astatine slightest 118 yards rushing, topped by 130 against the Falcons. If Carolina tin proceed to tally the shot and play bully defense, it has a accidental to astatine slightest beryllium successful games.

QB breakdown: PJ Walker wasn't spectacular, but helium didn't person to beryllium connected a nighttime erstwhile the moving crippled was successful precocious gear. But did helium play good capable to support the starting occupation adjacent week against the Baltimore Ravens? He didn't spot choky extremity Stephen Sullivan wide unfastened successful the archetypal 4th and was fortunate not to person his attempted walk to DJ Moore successful the extremity portion intercepted. He took a atrocious sack successful the archetypal fractional that took Carolina retired of tract extremity range. He seemed hesitant to run, thing the Panthers privation him to bash more. Looming is Sam Darnold, a backmost the Panthers mightiness beryllium inclined to springiness different shot.

Bold prediction for adjacent week: The Panthers commencement Darnold, activated from injured reserve earlier this week, against the Ravens and marque Walker the backup. At worst, Darnold is the backup and Baker Mayfield is either inactive oregon released. The squad truly wants to get a look astatine Darnold, who was 4-7 arsenic the starter past season. It'll hap astatine immoderate point, whether it's adjacent week oregon soon aft that. He's a subordinate the squad could see arsenic a seasoned to assistance mentor immoderate backmost the squad selects successful the 2023 draft.

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

Atlanta Falcons

Just terrible.

That's the champion mode to picture the Falcons connected Thursday evening. In prime-time for the archetypal clip this season, thing worked. Not close.

The discourtesy was ineffective. The defence was porous. Special teams included kicker Younghoe Koo missing 2 other points for the archetypal clip successful his career. And portion the Falcons' nonaccomplishment to the Panthers doesn't look similar a blowout connected the scoreboard, the Falcons precise seldom looked similar they had a accidental successful the game.

In a contention that erstwhile again could person fixed them archetypal spot successful the part and brought them again to .500, Atlanta volition beryllium alternatively lament different missed accidental to effort to get to archetypal spot successful a mediocre division.

While this doesn't enactment the Falcons retired of thing due to the fact that of the ineffectiveness of the division, it does nonstop Atlanta backmost into the heavy of the messiness that is the NFC South. So. Ugly.

Troubling trend: The Marcus Mariota-Kyle Pitts misconnection continued Thursday. Mariota connected with Pitts connected the 2nd play of the game. Then helium couldn't find his choky extremity again until precocious successful the 4th quarter. Mariota and Pitts entered the crippled connecting connected 51% of their passes -- worst among immoderate quarterback-tight extremity operation with astatine slightest 20 attempts -- and Thursday didn't amended things astatine each aft conscionable 2 catches for 28 yards connected 8 targets.

Biggest spread successful the crippled plan: After playing the Panthers little than 2 weeks ago, erstwhile Foreman rushed for 3 touchdowns, Atlanta had to cognize Carolina would beryllium moving the ball. And that did not matter. The Panthers ran for 232 yards connected Thursday, wholly mowing done the Atlanta defense. The Falcons adjacent cycled done linebackers successful the archetypal fractional with Rashaan Evans, Mykal Walker and Troy Andersen -- and it did not matter.

QB breakdown: More similar breached down. This was the worst Mariota has looked each season, adjacent if the stats aren't arsenic atrocious arsenic immoderate different games. While his 19-of-30, 186-yard, 2-touchdown, 1-interception (two others were dropped) stat enactment is beneath mean for him, his play was truthful overmuch worse. His heavy passes were not connected people (a accordant issue), and for 1 of the archetypal times successful 2022, his decision-making seemed arsenic poor. He wasn't assisted by aggregate debased snaps from halfway Drew Dalman and shaky violative enactment play, but it was rather a mediocre show for Mariota.

Silver lining: Cool infinitesimal for KhaDarel Hodge. In his 5th NFL play and 65th NFL game, Hodge scored his archetypal receiving touchdown. He's played connected 4 teams and connected vocation drawback No. 41, helium got his archetypal score.

Next game: vs. Bears (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)