4 Takeaways from Panthers' Dominant Victory over Falcons

Despite the Week 1 loss, there were positive signs from Bryce Young. Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, and he definitely played well enough to win.

Heading into Week 2, there were high expectations for Young because he’s traditionally dominated the Falcons. Young had probably his best game ever against the Falcons, and the Panthers needed him to have another in Week 2. Well, that’s exactly what happened.

Young ended up throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday. The quarterback didn’t make any big mistakes, and he looked in control all day. It’s still early, but that’s two great performances in a row for Young. If he keeps this going, he’s going to land a massive payday after the season.

Pass-Catchers Are Legit

In Week 1, Jalen Coker took the NFL world by storm with his best game as a pro. Tetairoa McMillan also had a solid game, so there was some real optimism about this group of pass-catchers.

In Week 2, the group only gave more reasons for optimism. McMillan caught five passes for 101 yards, and Coker caught eight passes for 66 yards. Tight end Darren Waller caught three passes for 33 yards and two touchdowns. Chuba Hubbard also got in on the action with two catches for 11 yards and a score.

No, the Defense Isn’t Historically Bad

The big question after Week 1 was whether the Panthers’ defense was actually atrocious, or if the Bears’ offense is just very good. Well, the Panthers’ defense responded in such a convincing way that we can say Week 1 was just a bad day.

Against the Falcons, the Panthers collected five quarterback hits, three interceptions, and forced two fumbles. The Falcons managed just 129 passing yards with no passing touchdowns. Star running back Bijan Robinson was limited to 72 yards and didn’t reach the end zone.

Yes, the Falcons have a terrible offense. However, a bad defense would have figured out a way to screw up today, or would have been just mediocre. Instead, the Panthers’ defense actually dominated.

Big-Money Additions Paying Off After All

Devin Lloyd was criticized heavily after Week 1. The high-priced linebacker had a horrible game, earning the lowest PFF grade of any defender on the team. Jaelan Phillips did have a sack, but he needed to make more of an impact than he did.

Those two guys responded in Week 2 in a big way. Lloyd collected nine tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, three pass breakups, and two interceptions. Lloyd did it all, even running one interception back for a score.

Meanwhile, Phillips collected two tackles and two quarterback hits on the day. It’s going to be hard for the Panthers to compete without these two, so it’s a great sign that they made such an impact.