Carolina dominated the Falcons from start to finish. They also got a little help from the referees, who gave the Panthers some courteous calls. Cam Newton led the Panthers' offense, passing for 287 yards and throwing two touchdowns. He also rushed for a career-high 116 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown run that put the Panthers out front, 23-0. Steve Smith had a big day receiving with seven catches for 109 yards. Linebacker Luke Kuechly led the Panthers' defense with thirteen tackles and fellow linebacker Thomas Davis had a crucial interception that stopped a late Falcons' drive. The win helps redeem the Panthers' 30-28 last-minute loss to the Falcons earlier in the season and improves their record to 4-9.
The Falcons must have left their game in Atlanta, as they seemed to be out of rhythm all afternoon. Not only did the Panthers have a 23-0 lead to start the game, they had almost three hundred more yards of offense through two and a half quarters. They held a 356 to 86 yard advantage over the Falcons. One of the bad calls by the referees came when the Falcons went for a two-point conversion. Roddy White appeared to have caught the ball but the referees said he bobbled it and it was no good. Replays didn't show the same thing. Then a few minutes later, the same thing happened to Panthers' receiver Louis Murphy, except he did bobble the ball and dropped it, but somehow it was ruled a complete pass. The Falcons, who are one of the best teams in the league at not committing fouls, received plenty of yellow flags on a day when everything went the Panthers way.
Matt Ryan had a good day, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns, but his interception late in the game was very costly. Michael Turner scored a late touchdown in the game, but he had a horrible day, carrying the ball seven times for a mere fourteen yards. Roddy White had another big game, catching nine passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. Dunta Robinson led the team with eight tackles, but overall the defense was horrible, missing many tackles and allowing the Panthers' offense to run all over the field.
The Falcons will have a tough opponent next Sunday. They will welcome the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants to the Georgia Dome. The Giants currently lead the NFC East division and will be looking to send the Falcons to another loss. The game will be at 1 p.m.
The Falcons' Corey Peters can't tackle Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton, Newton dominated the Falcons' defense running and throwing the ball.
Photo Courtesy of news.yahoo.com
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