NFL: Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
NFL: Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
Carolina’s defense was shredded for 59 points by Chicago, while Atlanta is searching for offense behind third-string quarterback Cooper Rush. Something has to give when the NFC South rivals meet Sunday.
The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons entered the season with legitimate aspirations of winning the NFC South.
One week later, both have reasons to wonder if they’re as good as they thought.
For Carolina, the concern couldn’t be more obvious. The defending NFC South champions scored 37 points in their opener and still lost by 22.
Chicago shredded the Panthers for 59 points and 552 yards, including a staggering 291 on the ground, turning what was supposed to be an improved Carolina defense into the NFL’s biggest Week 1 disappointment.
Atlanta’s problem is the opposite.
The Falcons allowed only 20 points against Pittsburgh but generated just 238 yards of offense in a 20-13 loss. Now they’ll again turn to third-string quarterback Cooper Rush, who completed 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the opener.
That makes Sunday’s game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a fascinating early test between NFC South rivals that finished with identical 8-9 records last season. Carolina won the division on a tiebreaker and reached the playoffs, while Atlanta was left home.
Both are 0-1 now.
And both already have significant problems to solve.
Can Panthers Defense Recover From an Embarrassing Opener?
There isn’t much use trying to soften what happened to Carolina’s defense against Chicago.
The Panthers were embarrassed.
Chicago averaged 7.9 yards per play. D’Andre Swift rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns, while Kyle Monangai added 100 yards as the Bears repeatedly gashed Carolina on the ground.
The Panthers aren’t pretending otherwise.
“It was an embarrassing loss,” defensive tackle Derrick Brown said this week. “But I mean this is what you live for. You got to go and snap back. Any man that faces adversity, it’s about what you do next.”
Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero struck a similar tone.
“There’s not a lack of confidence,” Evero said. “We didn’t play the way that we wanted. There’s a lot of areas we can coach better as well, but we feel like there’s a lot of things that we can certainly improve on and a lot of things that we can correct.”
The good news for Carolina is that Atlanta doesn’t possess anything close to the quarterback situation Chicago does.
The bad news?
The Falcons have Bijan Robinson.
Bijan Robinson Could Be Nightmare Matchup for Carolina
If there were one opponent Carolina probably wouldn’t choose immediately after allowing 291 rushing yards, it would be the team featuring perhaps the NFL’s most dangerous running back.
Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage last season, and Atlanta made its intentions with him unmistakable in Week 1.
He touched the ball 29 times against Pittsburgh, rushing 21 times and catching eight passes. Robinson finished with 173 yards from scrimmage and accounted for an extraordinary 73% of the Falcons’ total offensive production.
“They paid him all that money because they want the ball to go through him,” Brown said. “They love putting the ball in his hands whether it’s out in the backfield or in the air. He’s a dynamic back, and they got a lot of great pieces over there.”
Carolina coach Dave Canales knows the Panthers won’t simply be dealing with a conventional running back.
“We’ve got to have radars up,” Canales said. “We’ve got to know where Seven’s at at all times.”
Robinson can run between the tackles, bounce outside, catch screens, line up as a receiver and turn a short completion into an explosive play.
That’s precisely the kind of player a defense struggling with tackling and run fits doesn’t want to see.
Canales said stopping Robinson will require Carolina’s front seven to remain connected and funnel runs toward defenders arriving from the secondary.
“It is imperative that we team tackle, that we hustle,” Canales said.
If Carolina can’t do those things, Atlanta may not need much from its quarterback.
Falcons Turn Back to Cooper Rush
That could be important because the Falcons aren’t getting their preferred option at quarterback.
Atlanta coach Kevin Stefanski announced Friday that Rush will make his second consecutive start, with undrafted rookie Jack Strand serving as the backup. Michael Penix Jr. has been ruled out as he continues working his way back from last season’s ACL injury, while Tua Tagovailoa is doubtful with an oblique injury.
Rush struggled in Pittsburgh.
Beyond his modest 143 passing yards, the veteran threw two interceptions, including a T.J. Watt pick-six that helped decide the game. He was sacked four times and Atlanta couldn’t consistently threaten Pittsburgh downfield.
Stefanski believes another week of work should help.
“Coop’s a veteran,” Stefanski said this week. “I think like any player, there are plays you want back, but also understand that with more reps, with more turns, comes experience, comes confidence.”
Friday, Stefanski made the decision official.
“Cooper will start. Jack will be the backup,” Stefanski said. “Feel good about where we are, and feel good about putting a plan together to go find a way to win.”
That plan figures to revolve heavily around Robinson.
But Atlanta needs more than that if it wants to develop a sustainable offense.
Drake London and Kyle Pitts combined for only two receptions and 29 yards against Pittsburgh. Rush completed only two passes thrown more than nine yards downfield, according to Next Gen Stats.
If Carolina can contain Robinson and force Rush to consistently beat it from the pocket, the matchup begins to look much different.
Bryce Young Could Put Pressure on Falcons to Open Up Offense
Lost amid Carolina’s defensive disaster was an encouraging performance from Bryce Young.
Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns against Chicago, helping the Panthers score 37 points. Jalen Coker caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, while Chuba Hubbard scored both rushing and receiving touchdowns.
Young now gets an opponent he’s played particularly well against.
Carolina has won five of its seven meetings with Atlanta since late in the 2022 season, and Young has repeatedly produced some of his better performances against the Falcons.
But Young isn’t assuming Week 1’s offensive success automatically carries over.
“We have to execute at a high level,” Young said this week while discussing an Atlanta defense that likes to challenge receivers with man coverage.
That may be the matchup that determines the shape of Sunday’s game.
If Young and Carolina can score early, Atlanta may be forced away from the Robinson-heavy formula it would presumably prefer with Rush at quarterback.
That’s where the Falcons could become vulnerable.
Atlanta Needs to Find an Offensive Identity
Robinson touching the ball 29 times isn’t necessarily a problem.
Robinson accounting for 73% of Atlanta’s offense is.
The Falcons have London. They have Pitts. They drafted explosive USC receiver Zachariah Branch. There should be enough skill-position talent for this offense to present defenses with more than one major concern.
But until Atlanta establishes a credible passing game, defenses can increasingly tilt their attention toward No. 7.
That puts pressure on Rush to make Carolina pay.
And if there’s ever going to be an opportunity for Atlanta to get its passing game going, it might be against a defense that just surrendered 59 points.
Rush doesn’t have to become Patrick Mahomes. He needs to protect the football, convert manageable third downs and make enough throws to prevent Carolina from loading its defense against Robinson.
If he can do that, Atlanta should have opportunities.
Panthers-Falcons Could Tell Us Plenty About NFC South Race
It’s only Week 2.
But this doesn’t feel like an ordinary Week 2 game.
Carolina and Atlanta were separated by a tiebreaker last season. The Panthers went to the playoffs. The Falcons went home.
Now both are trying to avoid an 0-2 start while simultaneously answering serious questions raised by their season openers.
For Carolina, Sunday’s assignment is straightforward.
Prove that allowing 59 points and 291 rushing yards was an opening-week aberration rather than evidence of a fundamentally flawed defense. That starts with containing Robinson.
For Atlanta, it’s about proving there is a functioning offense beyond Robinson.
The Falcons don’t need Rush to carry them. They need him to give Robinson some help.
That’s what makes this matchup so intriguing.
Carolina’s biggest weakness after one week is stopping the run.
Atlanta’s best offensive player is arguably the best all-purpose running back in football.
Atlanta’s biggest weakness is its passing game.
Carolina just allowed 59 points.
One of these NFC South contenders is going to leave Mercedes-Benz Stadium feeling much better about itself.
The other will be 0-2 with the questions getting considerably louder.