The Panthers won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, so the defense was the first unit on the field for Carolina. The Falcons wasted no time getting down the field as they made it to the Carolina 12-yard line in just three plays before stalling and having to settle for a 20-yard field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
The Panthers offense drove down the field and took advantage of two Falcons penalties to keep their drive alive and took the lead on a Curtis Samuel touchdown run. Joey Slye’s extra point was good and the Panthers led 7-3 with 8:14 left in the quarter.