Carolina’s 31-24 loss to Atlanta on Sunday afternoon was entertaining if you had no stake in the outcome. It had all sorts of drama: Cheap shots and ejections. Touchdowns and deflections.
But it ended up the way most road trips to Atlanta have ended for the Panthers, with the Falcons celebrating on one side and the Panthers players trudging off the field on the other.
The game also took much of what we thought we knew about the Panthers and turned it upside down. Their wing-and-a-prayer offensive line protected quarterback Cam Newton beautifully. But their high-priced defensive line couldn’t do a thing against Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan or the Falcons running backs.