Winners And Losers From The Panthers’ 25-17 Loss To Falcons

In their first and only primetime game of the season, the Panthers took a harsh 25-17 home loss to the Falcons thanks to a poor overall performance.

Here are our winners and losers from Thursday night’s game.

Winner: DB Jeremy Chinn

Even in the middle of a bad game, the Panthers defense can rely on two young playmakers to cover for them: Jeremy Chinn and Brian Burns. We’ll start with Chinn. Not only did the Defensive Rookie of the Month continue to hold his own on his natural side of the ball, but Chinn also converted the fake punt that set up an important field goal by Joey Slye. Chinn also posted a team-high 10 tackles, one pass deflection and one quarterback hit.

Loser: Panthers offensive line

Carolina’s offensive line did not give Teddy Bridgewater any breaks on Thursday night. Bridgewater took pressures on far too many of his dropbacks, leading to rushed passes and yards lost on sacks. By the end of the game, the offensive line had given up six quarterback hits, four tackles for a loss and three sacks. The only silver lining may have been the line’s immediate response to the double cheap shots on Teddy, something the Cowboys were blasted for failing to do last week.

Winner: WR Curtis Samuel

Effectively suppressing the trade rumors that have surrounded the versatile receiver, Samuel combined effective between-the-tackles rushing with his catching ability to make an impact all over the field, combining for 54 total yards and two touchdowns. The highlight of the night was this flea flicker pass from Bridgewater to Samuel in the first half.

Loser: CB Donte Jackson

Jackson did get an interception on Matt Ryan. However, it doesn’t make up for his coverage. Julio Jones tore Jackson apart early and often. Jones converted 10 targets into seven receptions and 137 yards, most of which when he was covered by No. 26. And that’s not even mentioning the second-quarter touchdown Jackson would have allowed to Jones had undrafted rookie Sam Franklin not bailed him out with a crucial pass deflection. Jackson needs time off to heal his toe and get back to 100%.

Winner: DE Brian Burns

Just like Chinn, Burns had himself a great outing in multiple facets of the game. From a crucial QB rush that set up the Jackson interception to a third-down pressure that forced a change of possession, Burns continued to shine for this Carolina defensive line. The second-year defensive end totaled nine tackles and boosted his already strong All-Pro candidacy.

Loser: Time of possession battle

Whenever an NFL team loses the time of possession battle by 13 minutes, it’s not ideal. Atlanta held the ball 36:30 to just 23:30 for Carolina. In the end, that just didn’t leave the Panthers enough time to mount a comeback.

Winner: RB Mike Davis

The biggest news of the night came with Bridgewater’s second-half injury scare, but Carolina’s veteran running back quietly had an efficient game rushing in what could be his last starting opportunity before Christian McCaffrey returns. Both teams emphasized the run game as the rain made passing more difficult and Davis delivered— racking up 66 yards on 13 runs, an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

Loser: Third-down offense

Unfortunately for Carolina, the team simply cannot figure out a way to convert third downs. Even with Curtis Samuel back in the mix and having a spectacular all-around game, the Panthers were only able to go 2/10 in third down situations.