Grading Panthers’ latest home loss: Dalton, offense struggle against Falcons when it counts
Dave Canales is still searching for his first home win as the Carolina Panthers head coach.
On Sunday, Canales’ crew lost a 38-20 shootout to the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium. The high-scoring affair, while entertaining, put the 1-5 Panthers’ home-win drought at 301 days and counting.
The Falcons improved to 4-2.
While Canales did a nice job of keeping the play-calling balanced on offense, Carolina just wasn’t able to keep up with Atlanta’s high-powered attack. The Panthers’ porous run defense was overpowered by the likes of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. And Falcons QB Kirk Cousins was able to sit in the pocket and complete passes to dynamic weapons, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.
Panthers QB Andy Dalton tried to will the offense into the game from behind — with big strikes to wideouts Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette — but a fourth-quarter interception all but ended any hope of a comeback win. The pick ended a would-be comeback drive for the Panthers, and essentially knocked the wind out of the building.
The Dalton interception, the run defense, a blocked punt and some explosive passing plays from the Falcons’ offense all added up to another home loss for the boys in Process Blue.
Carolina hasn’t won a home game since Dec. 17, 2023. That win took place against the same NFC South franchise that just outscored them by 18 points on Sunday.
Here is how each unit graded out in the latest home loss:
Andy Dalton, Panthers pass offense vs. Falcons
After a three-and-out to begin the game, Dalton went to his favorite target, Johnson, for three huge plays during the second series. He hit Johnson back-to-back for gains of 17 and 19 yards. He later capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Johnson in the end zone, which helped the Panthers start the game with a 7-0 lead. Journeyman David Moore was also essential on the drive, as he made a pair of catches for 17 total yards.
The Panthers were forced into their hurry-up offense to end the second quarter following a large lull from the passing attack. Dalton connected with a pair of rookies, wideout Jalen Coker and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, for three catches for 42 yards on the series, which helped the Panthers get to the cusp of the red zone. Dalton was able to then break free from a potential sack with an 18-yard scramble to the 11-yard line.
Following the scramble by Dalton, an illegal shift by Johnson forced the huddle back by 5 yards. But Dalton was able to eventually hit Legette for an 7-yard jump-ball touchdown in the end zone before time expired in the first half.
Dalton completed 16 of 22 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the first two quarters.
Legette and Dalton continued to connect in the second half. Dalton targeted Legette on the first third down of the second half, and the wideout snagged the ball for a new set of downs. Dalton then went back to Johnson for a 14-yard gain to extend the drive even further. Those completions eventually led to a 40-yard field-goal score.
Dalton made his first big mistake of the game at the worst possible time. He targeted a well-covered Ian Thomas during the first drive of the fourth quarter and was immediately picked off by cornerback A.J. Terrell. Thomas and Terrell were running stride for stride with each other, and Terrell got leverage underneath. Still, Dalton fired the shot and was picked off cleanly by the cornerback when the Panthers were surging, down by eight points.
The Falcons scored another touchdown after the pick by Dalton. With the Panthers down by 15 points with 5:38 left in the game, Dalton was forced to toss the ball quite a bit. He was picked off again by cornerback Clark Phillips III to basically end the game, as the cornerback dropped to the ground ahead of a sure pick-six.
Dalton finished with 221 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions with a 68.4% completion percentage. He had a 78.9 passer rating for the game.
Johnson caught six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, while Legette contributed three catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. Sanders, the rookie TE, had a career high performance, catching five passes for 49 yards, despite an early drop.
Grade: C-
Chuba Hubbard, run offense vs. Atlanta
The Panthers’ running game got off to a slow start, but a 15-yard run by top back Chuba Hubbard in the second quarter got the ball rolling for Carolina on the ground, so to speak. Hubbard picked up 31 rushing yards on his first nine carries, averaging just 3.4 yards per tote.
The running game wasn’t prolific in the first half, but it did receive a boost from the 18-yard scramble from Dalton. As an offense, the Panthers produced 54 yards on 15 carries in the first half.
Hubbard began the third quarter with a 19-yard run down the middle with a heavy burst. It was his longest run of the game to that point, and helped the Panthers reached midfield quickly. The Panthers eventually made good on that run by connecting on a field goal to cap the drive.
The offense continued to lean on Hubbard in the early moments of the fourth quarter. Hubbard picked up 34 rushing yards on four consecutive carries to begin the final quarter. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Hubbard wasn’t able to get a pay off on that success, as Dalton eventually threw a pick on the drive.
Hubbard finished the game with 92 rushing yards on 18 carries. He averaged 5.1 yards per attempt. Dalton chipped in 21 yards on three carries. The group had 114 rushing yards on 24 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per carry.
Grade: B
Jaycee Horn, pass defense vs. Falcons
The Panthers’ pass coverage did a nice job early on, as Cousins was held in check for most of the first half. Cornerback Jaycee Horn broke up a pair of passes early on, and the defensive front was able to bat a couple of balls out of the air. Cousins completed just five of his first 12 passes for 33 yards and averaged just 2.8 yards per pass attempt during the stretch.
On the third drive of the game for the defense, linebacker Trevin Wallace forced a fumble on a catch by Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III, and then the rookie recovered the ball for a turnover. Originally, the play was ruled as a complete pass for a first-down conversion, but Canales challenged the play, and the Panthers won the review to regain possession off the Wallace recovery.
Unfortunately for Carolina, the defense’s typical miscues in pass coverage showed up toward the end of the first half. Safeties Xavier Woods and Nick Scott were split in coverage Pitts down the right sideline. It was unclear how the two safeties got lost in coverage, but Pitts made them pay with a 52-yard gain. To that point, the Falcons’ passing game had been largely been an afterthought.
The Falcons’ passing offense took advantage of a punt block at the end of the second quarter, which led to another touchdown for Atlanta. After a pair of runs in the red zone, Cousins hit London for 3-yard scoring strike to give Atlanta a double-digit lead.
Cousins finished the first half with a 99.9 passer rating and a 58.8% completion percentage. He threw for 119 passing yards in the first half.
The Panthers were bailed out on the first series of the second half after wideout Darnell Mooney got free toward the sideline. He fell with plenty of room in front of him as he made a 19-yard catch in the red zone. The play could have easily gone for a touchdown if Mooney had stayed on his feet. A few plays later, cornerback Mike Jackson was able to force a field goal by break up a potential 3-yard TD pass to London in the end zone.
London continued to give the Panthers’ fits in coverage. He caught a pair of passes for 41 yards to set up another field-goal score for the Falcons to answer for the Panthers’ previous scoring series.
After the Falcons picked off Dalton in the fourth quarter, the Falcons largely leaned on the run game to drain the clock and finish out the game. Cousins — outside of a couple of throws — was able to coast through the rest of the game.
Cousins completed 19 of 30 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. He had a 97.2 passer rating in the game. Pitts caught three passes for 70 yards, while London caught six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Grade: C-
Trevin Wallace, run defense vs. Atlanta
The Panthers’ defense has had unrelenting woes against opposing rushing attacks since last season. Those troubles continued in Week 6.
The Falcons dominated the Carolina defense with six runs for 36 rushing yards and a touchdown on the second series of the game. Robinson and Allgeier took turns running the ball down the defense’s throat, and we combined to pick up big chunks of yardage on the ground.
After a 52-yard catch-and-run by Pitts, the Falcons were able to get back in the red zone with seven minutes left in the second quarter. Robinson added to his stat count with a 7-yard run for a touchdown, his second score of the game. Allgeier added to the Falcons’ total with a 2-point conversion following a personal foul by the Panthers’ defense.
The Falcons finished the first half with 71 rushing yards and two touchdowns as an offense. They also had the Allgeier 2-point conversion.
Robinson continued his dominance on the ground to begin the third quarter, picking up a quick 17 yards on a handoff on the first series of the game. He then picked up 9 yards on a follow-up tote. Allgeier then followed up those runs to pick up another first down. The Falcons knew they could run on the Panthers and control the clock, and that set them up for another scoring series, which ended with a field goal.
Following the fourth-quarter interception by the defense, the Falcons continued to dominate on the ground. Robinson and Allgeier ripped off big gains, draining the clock and moving the sticks. The effort on the ground essentially put the game away, and the two-headed monster in the backfield sealed the deal for Atlanta with a third rushing score in the fourth quarter.
Robinson ran the ball 15 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Allgeier had 18 runs for 105 yards and a touchdown. The entire offense had 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The group averaged 5.2 yards per carry.
Grade: F
Johnny Hekker, special teams vs. Falcons
Punter Johnny Hekker opened the game with a 47-yard punt that completely flipped the field following a failed opening drive by the offense. Safety Lonnie Johnson made an excellent play as a gunner to get down the field and stop running back Avery Williams from gaining anything on the return. Hekker followed up that field-flipping attempt with a rocket of a 58-yard boot that was downed at the Atlanta 12-yard line.
The early feel-good special teams vibes continued with kicker Eddy Piñeiro. He made his first extra-point attempt and then hit a chip-shot 24-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter to give the Panthers a 10-7 lead. Tight end Feleipe Franks also contributed on special teams coverage, making an excellent hit on a kick return following the field goal.
The Panthers’ special teams unit unfortunately faltered at the end of the second quarter. The punt-protection unit got overwhelmed by an all-out rush, and Hekker had his third attempt of the game blocked by the Falcons. The Panthers were also called for a holding penalty on the play, pushing the Falcons onto the Carolina side of the field before the two-minute warning. The miscue led to a third Falcons touchdown in the first half.
Hekker finished the game with three punts with an average of 40 yards per attempt. Piñeiro made both of his field-goal attempts and both of his extra-point attempts. The kicker scored eight points on the day.
Grade: C+
Overall grade vs. Atlanta
The Panthers offense had little margin for error on Sunday, and paid the price with three second-half blunders. The defense continues to drag this squad into the depths, and the offense and special teams units are simply hanging on for dear life.
Dalton has the offense looking much more efficient than it ever did with Bryce Young, but that output hasn’t meant much in three of his four starts on the season. The Panthers continually lack answers late, largely because they are playing from behind and opposing teams are running over and through them on the ground. The miscues in pass coverage could be lived with if the run defense wasn’t essentially the equivalent of setting up a grouping of bowling pins after each frame.
The Panthers aren’t built to play from behind. They are also assuredly not built to win shootouts.
The Panthers did some good things on Sunday. But again, that doesn’t matter when you’re giving up 38 points and 423 net yards on defense.
Overall grade: C-
This story was originally published October 13, 2024 at 7:49 PM.
