Carolina Panthers given pristine grade for throttling of Atlanta Falcons

Despite losing two key offensive linemen and Tershawn Wharton in the first two games of the 2025 NFL season, the Panthers put together a dominant outing on both sides of the ball on Sunday, earning an A grade from CBS Sports analyst John Breech.

Well, well, well, look at the Panthers. Carolina was able to pull off the upset here thanks to a defense that came up with a big play whenever the team needed one," Breech wrote.

He added, "In the first half, the Panthers held the Falcons to just 1 of 7 on third down, which is a big reason why the Falcons weren't able to score any points in the first two quarters. In the second half, the Panthers picked off Penix twice, including a pick-six by cornerback Chau Smith-Wade."

Breech said the offense "could have been better," but it's not worth nitpicking since they shut out a hated rival at home. It was the first time the Panthers had shut out an opponent in five years.

No one on the offensive side of the ball really stood out. Rico Dowdle and Bryce Young rushed for scores, but that was it. Chuba Hubbard ran pretty well. On the defensive side, it was a group effort.

They recorded zero sacks but 11 pressures, and both Chau Smith-Wade and Mike Jackson had interceptions. Smith-Wade had a touchdown, and Jackson probably should've, but he got caught up trying to avoid tackles instead of just running straight for the end zone.

Time will tell if this is an indictment of the Falcons or an indicator that the Panthers aren't that bad, but at least for one Sunday, things looked really good for the Panthers for the first time in a very long time.