Panthers Lose Another; Fall to Falcons on the Road: Fan’s Reaction

The Carolina Panthers took on the Atlanta Falcons Sunday Oct. 16^th. The division rivals met and saw the Falcons get the win after a big fourth quarter on way to a 31-17 victory. The win moves the Falcons to 3-3 and drops Carolina to 1-5 on the year.

Cam Newton(notes) had a mixed game. He threw for 237 yards as he completed 21 of his 35 pass attempts. However, like what plagues many rookie quarterbacks, Newton threw interceptions and on this day he threw three. Newton may have been most impressive on the ground rushing for 50 yards on six carries, one of which was a 14-yard TD. The touchdown marked his sixth this season, tying him with Tim Tebow for most rushing touchdowns by a rookie and moves him one shy of Vince Young's record.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, Newton's mistakes came at a crucial time in the game. Trying to tie up the game, he threw an interception on a screen pass attempt to DeAngelo Williams(notes). Defensive tackle Cory Peters dropped into coverage and stepped in front of the pass.

The Falcons offense took care of the rest as the ensuing drive ended with a Michael Turner(notes) TD run pushing the score to a two touchdown lead. Turner was very impressive on the day, carrying the ball 27 times and gaining 139 yards with two scores. The Falcons had 35 rushes on the day, a staggering 15 more than Ryan pass attempts.

Although Newton did struggle at times this game, offensively he must be wondering when he will get some help. The combination of Williams and Jonathan Stewart(notes) rushed for less than 100 yards on 19 carries. Stewart however, did add a rushing touchdown. In comparison, Newton halved their output on less carries and also had a touchdown run.

The defensive line for the Panthers also didn't do the team any favors. The front four struggled to get a good push and allowed 166 yards on the ground, most of which to Turner.

However, ultimately the turnovers were the deciding factor in the game. Newton needs to be a little bit smarter with the ball, but with the attempts he is having each game, mistakes will happen.

The score says Carolina lost by two scores, but in truth the game was much closer than that. Carolina did have the lead heading into the final quarter, but like so many other games before, they couldn't finish out their effort with a win.

The Panthers will face the Redskins at home next week. Although close for most of their five losses, the Panthers will have to do more to add to their win total. The Redskins should pose a difficult game next Sunday in Carolina's attempt for their second victory.

*All stats found on espn.com

Although living several hundred miles from Charlotte, Matthew Levine bleeds Carolina blue. He has followed the Panthers since their inaugural season in 1995 and was absolutely heart-broken over the 2003 Super Bowl loss to the Patriots.

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