We knew this one would be ugly. We knew it would be sloppy. We just hoped it wouldn’t be as bad as the rainy weather and matchup suggested it could be. Instead, it was worse.
The and were at 7-6 Atlanta early in the fourth quarter, the product of fumbles (only Bijan Robinson’s was recovered, but both teams put the ball on the ground), excellent defense, and a lot of shaky play from both offenses. The weather was a factor, unsurprisingly, but so was the generally lackluster nature of both offenses. By the time Desmond Ridder threw a horrendous interception in the red zone in the fourth quarter, the sinking feeling that the Falcons were going to blow it had congealed into near-certainty, and the long drive that the Panthers put together against a tired defense after that all but confirmed it.