Panthers fall to Falcons in overtime, squander chance to take NFC South division lead
With first place in the NFC South on the line, Panthers quarterback PJ Walker had a specific game plan to follow: Be astutely aggressive, rely on running back D’Onta Foreman and protect the football.
Trailing by six with 23 seconds to play, the game plan went out the window. Carolina needed a miracle to tie the game and DJ Moore answered Walker’s Hail Mary. Escaping behind the Falcons’ injury-riddled secondary, Moore scored a 62-yard touchdown from Walker with seconds remaining.
But Moore let the celebration get the best of him. He removed his helmet after the score and jumped into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium stands. He was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. By rule, players cannot remove their helmets while on the field. The penalty pushed the point-after try back 15 yards. Kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed the attempt, forcing overtime.
In overtime, Atlanta got the ball first, but cornerback C.J. Henderson intercepted Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota and returned it 54 yards to the red zone. Piñeiro missed a 32-yard attempt for the win three plays later.
The Falcons then drove it 55 yards in eight plays and won on a 41-yard Younghoe Koo kick. Mariota scrambled for 30 yards two plays prior to set up the kick which beat Carolina, 37-34.
“We didn’t find a way to finish. We had too many opportunities to win this football game. And we didn’t find a way to get it done,” interim head coach Steve Wilks said. “The celebration penalty was a big play like that. We got to keep our poise. It was a great job by DJ (Moore) coming up with the big play in the end zone. A great pass by PJ (Walker). But as a team, we’ve got to make sure that we’re smart.”
The exhausting game featured a combined 140 plays and six fourth-quarter lead changes.
“When C.J. (Henderson) picked the ball I thought it was over,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said. “I wanted to pick up a block for him. But then the game wasn’t over until we made that kick. ... It felt like the game was never going to be over.”
For 65 of the Panthers’ 66 plays, Walker accomplished the team’s game plan. Carolina overcame his costly pick-six right before the half and held a four-point lead with 2:26 to play. But the defense allowed a deep curl route by Damiere Byrd to pop for a 47-yard touchdown. Henderson was in coverage and multiple Panthers defenders missed tackles on the go-ahead play.
The offense, defense and special teams all let Carolina down at critical moments Sunday.
Piñeiro — who had only missed two kicks this season — whiffed consecutive game-winning tries. The first miss was an extra point that was kicked from 48 yards away due to the penalty. The second miss was a field-goal attempt from extra-point distance.
The Panthers had two opportunities to capture first place in the NFC South, but squandered them both.
“That was crazy. It was insane,” Walker said. “We will see that team again in a week and a half. There are a lot of dogs in our locker room with a lot of fight. We showed the character of this team. ... You could just see the fight out there in all of us.”
Carolina hosts Atlanta on “Thursday Night Football” to start Week 10 with a chance to claw itself back into the division race.
Walker’s devastating turnover came as the Panthers were trying to escape the first half with some points. Leading by three, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo called a running back screen on Carolina’s own 37-yard line. Walker threw a lob pass intended for Foreman, but it was intercepted by outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter, who stopped his feet midway through his pass rush. Carter recognized the screen and leaped up for Walker’s pass. The 6-foot-5 Carter snagged the ball out of the air and raced 28 yards to score.
“(Carter) made a hell of a play,” Walker said of his interception. “I was just trying to get (the ball) over him. He reached up and, made the catch and ran it back.”
Once again, the Panthers’ run game carried the offense while Walker made just enough precise throws to put the offense in scoring positions. Walker threw for a career-high 317 yards on 19-of-36 passing (52.8%), one touchdown and one interception.
Foreman terrorized the Falcons’ run defense, rushing for a game-high 112 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns.
Carolina tied the game at 21 with 11:50 left to play when Foreman punched in a 1-yard score on fourth down. The Panthers went for two and again Foreman pounded a run inside to tie.
“(Foreman) gave me a lot of confidence. You just know he’s going to get downhill, make those tough runs,” Walker said. “He’s physical. He’s a bruiser. We look forward to giving him the ball and letting him do his thing.”
The Panthers held Atlanta to a field goal on the following series. Down three, Walker converted a critical third-and-13 on a 21-yard Moore reception. The drive nearly fell apart due to consecutive procedural penalties. But Walker again picked up a first down on a 39-yard deep crossing route to Terrace Marshall.
Moore and Marshall combined for 239 receiving yards on 10 catches. Foreman capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run for his third score. Moore finished with 152 yards, 5 yards short of his career-high set in 2018. He entered Sunday with 273 receiving yards.
Both teams came in with run-first reputations, yet challenged each other on early deep throws.
Cornerback Donte Jackson intercepted Mariota on the game’s second play. Jackson ran stride-for-stride with Byrd, stayed in his hip pocket and made a one-handed catch.
Jackson did not finish the game after re-aggravating his ankle injury in the fourth quarter. After the game, Jackson said he is frustrated that he cannot stay healthy, adding he does not know if he will miss next week’s game against Cincinnati yet.
“It’s just nagging injuries. The same ankle,” Jackson said. “It’s frustrating because in those moments you want to be helping your team out.”
Carolina scored first on a 37-yard Piñeiro field goal, which was set up by a 13-yard Shi Smith punt return. The Panthers started their six-play scoring drive on Atlanta’s 37-yard line. Carolina gained just 18 yards on the series, capped by a third-and-18 Spencer Brown rush that gained 7 yards.
Tight end Kyle Pitts scored the Falcons’ first touchdown. Atlanta took a second-quarter lead when Pitts caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Mariota. Pitts caused issues for Carolina all afternoon. He led all Falcons receivers with five catches for 80 yards and touchdown.
The Panthers’ defense contained the mobile Mariota well until overtime. Defensive coordinator Al Holcomb used a variety of quarterback spies and interior pressures to frustrate the 29-year-old quarterback on his birthday.
But it was Mariota’s legs that set up the Falcons game-winning kick in overtime.
Carolina (2-6) travels to Cincinnati (4-3) next. Week 8 concludes when the Bengals face the Cleveland Browns on Monday night.
This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 4:48 PM.
