Major takeaways from Carolina Panthers' shocking win over Atlanta Falcons

Either that, or the Atlanta Falcons' offense is horrible. The Panthers' defense was swarming all day, even on special teams. They forced turnovers, punts, and took advantage of some bad kicking by the Falcons. But all in all, it was a strangely dominant outing for a defense that had looked mostly rough (even if they were improved from last year) through two games. I'm not willing to say they're a good unit, but they really looked like a dominant defense on Sunday. It got so bad that Kirk Cousins entered the game.

The rookies can play

Tetairoa McMillan was solid once again, although he had a couple of uncharacteristic drops on third downs. But really, it was the defensive rookies that shone. Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen helped the pass rush immensely, as their increased snap count directly led to better pressure on the quarterback.

Bryce Young was really good

As was often the case last year with Bryce Young, the middling box score numbers don't do Young's performance justice. McMillan had a few drops, including another one-handed TD attempt on a truly perfect deep ball. He was accurate all day and poised in the pocket. Most importantly, he played really intelligently, especially compared to Michael Penix Jr.

The patchwork offensive line mostly held up

They weren't perfect, including ending a drive in the red zone by allowing a sack, but the makeshift offensive line was pretty strong. They held up against the new-look Falcons pass rush for the most part, and they paved holes for the running backs. Maybe all isn't lost without Austin Corbett and Robert Hunt.

Dave Canales can be so much better

The first game and a half were pretty bad for Dave Canales. He got better in the second half last week before imploding as a play-caller on the final drive. But today, he was good. They were more creative and less one-dimensional. The play-calling was good, and the team executed the game plan well. They finally looked prepared. A lot of the plays, even if they didn't work, were well-designed.

The kicking game is really solid

Several miscues on the part of the Falcons helped this, but Carolina routinely kicked off perfectly and pinned the Falcons deep. This had been a strength this year anyway, but it was on full display today. Additionally, the field-goal unit was exceptional as well. In every facet, the Panthers have a good kicker.