Falcons' Solid Defensive Effort Overshadowed by Sputtering Offense

CHARLOTTE, NC – The Atlanta Falcons floundered in a 30-point loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The offense struggled to find its rhythm, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled, as the offense was shut out for the first time since Week 11 of the 2021 season.

Lost in the Week 3 drubbing was another strong effort from a revitalized Falcons defense. 

As a unit, they held the Panthers to just 224 yards of total offense, 3-of-11 on third downs (27.2%), and 15 first downs. They allowed just 4.1 yards per play (6th-best mark in the NFL in Week 3) and largely shut down the Carolina offense. 

The only shortcoming of this defense was with its pass rush, which, ironically, was the unit that was thought to have found its footing in a Week 2 win over Minnesota, where it generated six sacks and 11 quarterback hits. 

On Sunday, the Falcons only pressured Young seven times (25.9% pressure rate), sacking him just once. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich even brought added bodies, with a blitz rate of 63%. The Panthers’ quarterback negated it by getting rid of the ball in under 2.5 seconds against the extra pass rushers (2.46 seconds), and finished 9 of 14 for 72 yards against the blitz. 

Despite that fact, the Falcons' defense largely held up its end of the bargain in this game. 

They gave up a first-possession touchdown drive and a career-long 57-yard field goal later in the first half, but nothing else before halftime. 

After the half, the Panthers were gifted points from an interception returned for a touchdown on the offense’s first possession, and then routinely stuck with brutal starting field position after more failures from the Falcon offense. 

Carolina’s second-half drives after the pick-six started from the Atlanta 45-, the Atlanta 30-, and the Atlanta 44-yard line. Unsurprisingly, all three of those drives ended in points for the Panthers. 

Despite an effective defensive showing, the Falcons were repeatedly undermined by turnovers and poor field position, leaving the defense exposed.

The disparity in performance has largely been the story of the season through the first three weeks of the 2025 season. 

The Falcons’ defense is credited with giving up 30 points on Sunday, but it still ranks as the 13th scoring defense in the league. They are 2nd in yards allowed (227.3), 5th in EPA/play and EPA/pass, 6th in team sack rate, and 8th in pressure rate.   

Meanwhile, the offense has struggled to find a groove, whether it is the rushing woes in Week 1, the red zone offense in Week 2, or the general sloppiness and quarterback inconsistency in Week 3.

Zac Robinson’s unit is 31st in scoring offense (14.0 PPG), 13th in total offense (338.7 YPG), 27th in EPA/play, 13th in EPA/rush, and 28th in EPA/pass.

Despite the continued struggles of the offense, safety and team captain, Jessie Bates III, was adamant that his side of the ball still could have done more to support the team, just as it had the week before. 

“Just as a whole group, every phase, it just wasn’t good enough,” he said after the game. “At one moment, we could have taken the momentum back, and the next thing you know, we’re not doing well on special teams, and then the defense is not responding well. It’s just a snowball effect, and it just wasn’t a good day for us today.”

That snowball turned into an avalanche, and it buried the Falcons in the second half. 

Despite the lopsided score, the Falcons’ defense has shown it can compete even when the offense sputters. The challenge moving forward will be to maintain this effort against some of the difficult units coming up on their schedule (Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, and the San Francisco 49ers) while the offense finds its legs. 

Offensively, Atlanta must clean up its execution, find rhythm at quarterback, and stabilize its offensive line to prevent the defense from being repeatedly put in impossible positions. 

For a team with playoff aspirations, Sunday’s loss is a stark reminder that the defense can only carry the Falcons so far. This offense must improve, or risk more games ending in frustration, no matter how well the defense performs.