By Josh Kendall, Joseph Person and Amos Morale III
The Carolina Panthers picked up their first win of the season with a 30-0 rout of NFC South rival Atlanta on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
The Panthers held a 10-0 lead at halftime thanks to a Bryce Young touchdown run and a 57-yard Ryan Fitzgerald field goal.
Carolina broke the game open in the third quarter when cornerback Chau Smith-Wade returned a Michael Penix Jr. interception for a touchdown.
The Panthers stretched their lead to 27-0 early in the fourth quarter on running back Rico Dowdle’s 1-yard touchdown run. After that score, Atlanta benched Penix, and backup quarterback Kirk Cousins checked in for the Falcons.
Home sweet home
After scoring 22 and 10 points in road losses at Arizona and Jacksonville, the Panthers risked losing the home fans if they fell to 0-3. Instead, they turned in their best defensive and special teams game under second-year coach Dave Canales.
Fitzgerald hit three field goals — including a 57-yarder — to improve to 5-for-5 on the season. Fitzgerald also helped pin the Falcons deep all day by spinning his kickoffs into the landing zone.
After five turnovers in his first two games, Bryce Young protected the ball in a turnover-free game that was solid, though not spectacular. But this was a day to celebrate the Panthers’ often-maligned defense. — Joe Person, Panthers beat writer
Defense came to play
The Panthers defense was a punching bag in 2024, when Carolina finished last in several major defensive categories and prompted questions about coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit. But the Panthers showed up Sunday with their first shutout since a 20-0 win over Detroit on Nov. 22, 2020. The Panthers had three takeaways, including two interceptions of Penix — Smith-Wade returned the first 13 yards for a TD. Carolina didn’t let Bijan Robinson run wild and held Atlanta to 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts. — Person
Week Three
Chau Smith-Wade Pick Six (1)
pic.twitter.com/CliiBs0Exo— NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDVids) September 21, 2025
Penix struggles
Penix played easily his worst NFL game in his sixth career start in Atlanta and was subbed out for Cousins in the fourth quarter. Penix, who replaced Kirk Cousins as the starter in Week 16 last year, finished 18-of-36 for 172 yards and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
His EPA per dropback (minus-0.57) and passer rating (40.5) were both the worst of his career, and he looked out of sync with his receivers throughout the day.
Cousins, who entered the game with 10:48 remaining and the Falcons trailing 27-0, finished 5-of-7 for 29 yards. — Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer
Kicking woes continue
Kicker Parker Romo was one of the feel-good stories of Week 2 after making all five of his attempts just five days after being signed by the team. The script completely flipped against Carolina. Romo was 0-for-2 just two days after the Falcons released veteran kicker Younghoe Koo and signed Romo to the 53-man roster.
Romo missed his first attempt wide right on Atlanta’s first possession. He then missed a 55-yarder wide left on Atlanta’s third possession. — Kendall
Where’d the rush go?
Atlanta’s rejuvenated pass rush only lasted one week. The Falcons sacked J.J. McCarthy six times last week but only got Carolina’s Bryce Young on the ground once. Atlanta had only four tackles-for-loss overall. Linebacker Kaden Ellis recorded the only sack, his first of the season. — Kendall
(Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
