What jumped out in the Falcons' game against the Panthers
on Thursday night?
In Charlotte The Carolina Panthers game on Thursday night
was described as a "must-win" by Falcons safety Richie Grant.
With so much of the season yet to go, that is a claim that
must always be proven in Week 10. But there's no denying it was a significant
one. Especially so for a squad vying for the NFC South championship. especially
after a difficult defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9.
Atlanta lost a crucial game on the schedule after coming out
on top 25-15 at Bank of American Stadium after a soggy contest. As time ran
out, the Falcons attempted a comeback, but they were ultimately unable to
succeed.
Let's examine what the Falcons did well in Carolina
regulates the ground game
One of the finest rushing attacks in the NFL belongs to the
Falcons. They have averaged 162 yards per game and have gone over 200 yards
three times and 150 seven times. They also had a respectable run defence,
placing eighth overall going into Thursday night's game.
Then everything changed. The Panthers ran the ball more than
40 times for more than 200 yards, copying a play from the Falcons. There were
some substantial increases in there that produced scores.
Rushing in the first half was a struggle, despite the
Falcons finally reaching far into the triple digits and having some promising
moments. Early on, they only managed 33 yards on 12 carries, which caused their
offensive to struggle. The Falcons were unable to complete enough passes to
consistently score goals or overcome a disadvantage they had faced from the
start. Marcus Mariota threw a couple misplaced throws, some of which found open
receivers in the air. As the contest progressed and the Falcons continued to
behind by a number of scores, Carolina's defence was able to blitz and
completely overwhelm Mariota's defence.
The Falcons, or any team for that matter, do not like to
play when they are down and frequently forced to throw. Turnovers didn't save
the offence; instead, they had to work their way back into the game. With
Khadarel Hodge receiving a 25-yard touchdown pass, the Falcons closed the gap
to one point. With two and a half minutes left, the Falcons then forced a three
and out, setting up the chance of a game-tying drive.
Simply put, they did nothing with it.
That wasn't going to happen, and the Falcons ultimately lost
a close game in which they failed to establish the tone.
After the Falcons had been a dominant force on the ground,
both rushing the football and defending against it, losing in the run game was
an unusual and unexpected development. Failure in those areas resulted in a
poor game script and, eventually, an undesirable outcome.
The cost of the Panthers' explosive plays
The Falcons didn't allow many long plays in this game, but
the ones they did permit were expensive. Laviska Shenault Jr. scored the game's
first touchdown on a 41-yard rush that was a throw to a receiver in motion.
Even while the second didn't directly lead to a touchdown,
it set one up inadvertently. After Drake London had caught a touchdown pass
with the score at 13-9 relatively late in the third quarter, Terrance Marshall
Jr. outran Falcons cornerback Rashad Fenton and carried a short P.J. Walker
pass 43 yards. After that, the Panthers gained ground steadily with the
exception of one penalty before D'Onta Foreman scored from 12 yards away. Inability to score and the Falcons' need to
catch up were factors that caused Atlanta to fall behind by two scores as the
third quarter came to an end.
Yet another sluggish outbound journey
The Falcons have had trouble getting out to a quick start
away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, losing multiple points in the first half of
their previous three games. The third happened on Thursday night against
Carolina, when the offence got off to a slow start, it was difficult to leave
the field, and a turnover occurred. With an impressive touchdown run and two
field goals, Carolina was able to gain a two-score advantage to make the final
score 13-0. Not included in that was a 15-play, almost 9-minute drive that
produced no points. Younghoe Koo's 33-yard field goal with seconds remaining in
the second quarter gave the Falcons a chance to rescue three points from the
opening frames. Atlanta has demonstrated the ability to come back from
deficits, but it is still challenging to do it game after game. It was
important to get moving more quickly after suffering significant losses in
Tampa and Cincinnati. At home, the Falcons were able to turn things up, but in
Carolina, the problematic sluggish starts reappeared.
Request questions
Let's fill up the mailbag with inquiries about what you saw
during the game on Thursday night. Send them in right here to be included in
the mailbag on Friday.
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