Canada Sports News

• Falcons defeated the divisional rivals, Carolina Panthers, on the road, 25-17.
• Guests’ team play earned this one, as the entire unit played well and contributed.
• Curtis Samuel scored two TDs for the Panthers.

Falcons’ Win Gives Hope

Tonight’s victory was the second in the previous three games for the Falcons, who are now sitting at a 2-6 record. For some, this is just a temporary spark, but it is a promising trend for others.

Atlanta defeated Carolina Panthers on the road, 25-17, in a match where all of their players gave big contributions. After a long time, the positive atmosphere overwhelmed the Falcons locker room.

“I hope it’s the start of something,” QB Matt Ryan said. “I really feel like, although we’re 2-6, I feel like we’ve been in some tight ones. We’ve played some good football. I think we can play some really tough football here in the second half of the season.”

Ryan didn’t have a touchdown pass, but he managed to run for one of the Falcons’ two TD scores today. The former NFL MVP had 21 completions in 30 passes for 281 yards, and one interception. He was also sacked twice.

The other touchdown came following Todd Gurley’s three-yard rush early in the fourth period. Julio Jones did his part of the job, getting 137 receiving yards in seven catches being Ryan’s target on 10 occasions.

Maybe the key play of the match was Blidi Wreh-Wilson’s interception, once he interrupted Carolina’s last attack with 64 seconds left on the clock. It was the final blow to the Panthers’ ambitions to come back.

Rhule in Problems

The Panthers now have three losses in a row and are on the downhill. For Matt Rhule, this is the first big challenge in his NFL career, and he needs to find a cure for the team’s problems very quickly. Otherwise, the playoff battle could be gone in the next few weeks.

“We had a hard time blocking their front,” he explained the reason for tonight’s loss. “We weren’t able to get our receivers involved. We were 2 of 10 on third downs and we can’t live like that.”

Teddy Bridgewater was under constant pressure coming from the Falcons’ defenders. He was 15-of-23, for 176 yards, and one touchdown and interception. Bridgewater also ran for 30 yards on five attempts, and during one scramble, he was tripped and then hurt by Charles Harris, who was ejected due to an illegal neck hit.

Panthers’ QB had to go out for a while before coming back to the field again. Bridgewater would stay there until the end.

Curtis Samuel was a dual-threat for Carolina, posting two TDs, one on the ground and the second through the air, both in the opening half. Unfortunately for the hosts, there was no support from other teammates.

Panthers are 3-5 with a tendency to have an even worse record after the next two matchups. The first one is on the road against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. After that, they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady.

Falcons first play against the Denver Broncos in Atlanta and, after that, visit the New Orleans Saints.