The Carolina Panthers suffered their first loss of the season thanks to the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons finally saw the offensive explosion they saw from their primary playmakers earlier in the season. Devonta Freeman had an excellent game as he finally found the end zone scoring a touchdown. Freeman also had 22 rushing attempts that gained 73 yards solidifying his solid day.
The Panthers fell flat as Cam Newton could not throw a touchdown pass all afternoon. Newton did run into the end zone for a score but it was a very surprising end to such a dominant undefeated streak.
The Panthers rushing attack was unproductive as their offense did not produce a 100 yard rusher all day long. The Panthers defense could not cover Julio Jones as he racked up a ton of yards on what was one of his best performances all season long. Jones racked up 178 receiving yards on 9 receptions. Jones also caught a touchdown pass that helped put away the Carolina Panthers.
That pass was all orchestrated by Matt Ryan who threw for over 300 yards in one of his most impressive performances in recent memory. The Panthers now will focus on their playoff hopes as their goal for an undefeated season has ended.