Carolina Panthers post first shutout in five years with home opener rout
The Carolina Panthers kept their opponent at bay for the first time in five years.
Chau Smith Wade’s pick-six early in the second half, touchdown rushes from quarterback Bryce Young and running back Rico Dowdle, and three field goals from Ryan Fitzgerald — the undrafted rookie kicker out of Florida State — built the Panthers’ 30-0 victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
The shutout is Carolina’s first since Nov. 22, 2020, when it earned a 20-0 victory against Detroit.
It’s been a decade since the Panthers have shut out Atlanta, not having done so since Dec. 13, 2015, in a 38-0 victory over their division rival. The Falcons were shut out in an away contest for the first time in 10 years — since that game in Charlotte.
Panthers’ rookie kicker stays hot
Fitzgerald nailed three field goals in Carolina’s dominant victory.
The 25-year-old Coolidge, Georgia, native improved to 5-for-5 on field goals this season, drilling a 57-yard blast in the first half. His career-long field goal in college with the Seminoles is 59 yards, marking the second-longest in school history.
Field goals of 35 and 41 yards, respectively, extended Carolina’s lead during the second half.
A historic rout for Carolina against its foe
The Panthers’ 30-point victory is their largest margin of victory since 2015.
That also came in Carolina’s 38-0 drubbing of the Falcons 10 years ago, during Week 14 of the season in which the Panthers reached the Super Bowl. But it was this same division rival that ended the Panthers’ unbeaten regular season two weeks later.
Sunday also marks Carolina’s biggest win against Atlanta since 2015, and the fourth-largest margin of victory in the NFC South opponents’ history. The Panthers play the Falcons again in Week 11, set for 1 p.m. Nov. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This story was originally published September 21, 2025 at 3:33 PM.
