The Panthers tried to rally in the final minutes of Sunday’s game, but it turned out to be too little too later against the Falcons.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan hit tight end Kyle Pitts for one first down and ran for a second to allow the Falcons to run out the clock after the Panthers closed within 29-21 with just over three minutes left in the game. The win pushes the Falcons to 6-7 and leaves them very much in the hunt for a playoff spot with a trip to San Francisco on deck for next weekend.
Ryan was 19-of-28 for 190 yards and a touchdown and the Falcons picked up 190 yards on the ground over the course of the afternoon. Cordarrelle Patterson led the way with 58 yards and a touchdown, but Mike Davis and Qadree Ollison also contributed to the winning effort.
Ollison also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter and that set the stage for the P.J. Walker touchdown pass that made it a one-score game. Walker was in and out of the game as the Panthers opted to yank Cam Newton in both the second and fourth quarters of the game. Newton led touchdown drives in both halves, but also threw an interception that was returned for a score by Mykal Walker and lost a fumble after getting his feet tangled with center Pat Elflein while trying to hand the ball off.
Newton was 15-of-23 for 178 yards and ran for 47 yards and a touchdowns. Walker was 6-of-12 for 75 yards and an interception to go with his fourth quarter touchdown pass.
Head coach Matt Rhule will likely be asked about who starts in Buffalo next weekend, but the bigger question at quarterback in Carolina is about the long-term answer because it isn’t on hand right now.