Another Carolina Panthers road trip to Atlanta, another Carolina Panthers road loss in Atlanta.
Only unlike last season’s Week 17 loss, there was no one clear unit that struggled on Sunday. Rather, it was an all-encompassing letdown, with the offense and defense both sharing the blame in Carolina’s eventual 31-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
An example: Cam Newton threw his first two touchdown passes of this season, including an absolute dart to Torrey Smith in the red zone, but his skill position players largely failed to help him out. With the team charging downfield late in the fourth quarter and hoping for a comeback, Newton’s pass to CJ Anderson bounced right off the running back’s hands and into the waiting grasp of a Falcons safety.