Falcons sloppy in defeat as Panthers halt losing streak
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor has spent three years working with Eddy Pineiro in the NFL, first with the Chicago Bears and now in Charlotte, and his confidence level in the 28-yearold kicker is unwavering.
That’s why Tabor had running back Chuba Hubbard intentionally take a dive before the goal line after picking up a first down, rather than trying to score a touchdown — in order to run more time off the clock.
And it’s why he had Carolina rookie quarterback Bryce Young take a knee on three straight snaps before sending Pineiro on the field to win the game on a slick, rain-soaked field with :01 showing on the clock.
Pineiro rewarded his coach by calmly kicking a 23-yard field goal as time expired, and the Panthers avoided overtime and defeated the Atlanta Falcons 9-7 in an NFC South Division matchup played amid a steady downpour Sunday afternoon.
“We have a lot of confidence in our kicker,” Tabor said. “We’re on the 2- or 3-yard line, the ball right in the middle. I like our chances. And that way you end the game right there.”
It may have ended Atlanta’s playoff hopes, too.
Atlanta (6-8) entered the game tied with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the division standings, but now the Falcons will need help to get into the postseason after the Saints and Bucs both won to improve to 7-7. Atlanta hasn’t reached the playoffs since the 2019 season, which was also the team’s last winning record.
“This one stings,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith. “We’ve got to get back and find a way. We’ve got to get back in the win column. … This was not the result we expected.”
Smith, the former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, is in his third year as an NFL head coach, but he faced questions about his job security in Sunday’s postgame news conference. Atlanta went 7-10 each of his first two seasons, and it’s no surprise there’s speculation about whether team owner Arthur Blank might be ready to make a move.
“There’s consequences
when you lose, so these are natural questions, right?” Smith said. “So it’s NFL 101. The job is to win games.”
Three NFL head coaches have already been fired this season: Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders in late October, Frank Reich of the Panthers in late November and Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers this past week.
Smith said he has a ton of selfconfidence and isn’t giving up on his team.
“Your job is to win games and to get into the playoffs,” Smith said. “We still have that opportunity.”
Young, the No. 1 pick of April’s draft, threw for 167 yards in his second NFL win and Hubbard ran for 87 yards on 22 carries for Carolina, which opened this season with a 24-10 loss at Atlanta.
In the rematch, the Falcons led 7-6 and were driving for more points in the fourth quarter when second-year pro Desmond Ridder threw into traffic and was intercepted at the Carolina 5-yard line by safety Xavier Woods.
Young, who had struggled all afternoon, led the Panthers on a 17-play, 90-yard drive that took the final 7:35 off the clock. The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Panthers (2-12).
Interest in the Panthers has long faded, and tickets were available for $4 on internet resale websites before the game as bad weather moved in.
“I was really happy for our guys that they were able to break through,” said Tabor, who won in his third game as interim head coach. “Sometimes you knock at the door all of the time, and no one answers. And sooner or later, you have to kick it down. And we did that tonight.”
The Falcons felt the impact of Carolina’s collective foot, though the visitors’ slippery hands also played a part.
Ridder finished the game 12-of-22 passing for 152 yards with one touchdown and the pick, and rookie running back Bijan Robinson also had a costly turnover for Atlanta in the second half.
The Falcons broke a scoreless tie in the second quarter when Ridder connected with wideopen tight end Jonnu Smith for a 56-yard gain, setting up a 2-yard shovel pass to Cordarrelle Patterson.
Carolina had a chance to tie it late in the first half, but the drive ended in the red zone with Young taking his 50th sack of the season. The Panthers were forced to settle for Pineiro’s 34-yard field goal, marking the fifth straight game they’ve scored just three points in the first half.
Late in the third quarter, Troy Hill stripped Robinson of the ball and Brian Burns recovered at the Atlanta 24. But the normally surehanded Adam Thielen dropped a would-be touchdown pass, and the Panthers had to settle for Pineiro’s 25-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 7-6.
Ridder’s ill-advised throw gave the Panthers one last chance.
“I’ve got to throw the ball and live to see another down,” Ridder said of the interception. “We’re all playmakers, and we’ve got to try and make plays out there. We just all have to know the right time and right situation. That wasn’t it.”
Ridder said in hindsight he should have ran out of bounds.
“Any time you’re throwing late over the middle, it’s probably not a great idea,” Ridder said. “Obviously trying to do too much.”
The turnover gave the Panthers one last chance, and Young made the Falcons pay. He was 5-of-5 for 68 yards on the final drive, including a 20-yard pass to fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo on third-and-3 to move the chains.
“We all have faith in each other, and we all believe in each other,” Young said. “It was just a great opportunity. Being in the huddle and being able to look at each other, we all had the same look in our eyes. We all had confidence that we would be able to put it together.”
Atlanta had put together backto-back wins before a 29-25 home loss to Tampa Bay and the setback at Carolina. After hosting the Indianapolis Colts in their home finale next Sunday, the Falcons finish their schedule on the road at Chicago (Dec. 31) and New Orleans (Jan. 7).
“When you’re coming off two close losses like that in the division, a lot changes in eight days,” Smith said. “But we’ve still got three more. We’ve got to find a way. We’ve got a lot going on. We did it to ourselves. We’ve got get back in there and find a way to beat Indy.”