FLOWERY BRANCH — It’s been another long season for the Carolina Panthers, who have struggled in the post-Ron Rivera/Cam Newton era.
Fresh off a 48-10 spanking Sunday by Tampa Bay, the Panthers (4-12) will close the regular season against the Falcons (8-8) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Like the Falcons, they have not had a winning season since 2017, when they were 11-5.
The Panthers can play spoilers and end the Falcons’ faint playoff hopes with a victory.
The Panthers have had a revolving door at the head coaching position and benched their one-time “quarterback of the future” earlier this season. Dave Canales is in his first year with the Panthers, who also have had Matt Rhule and Frank Reich as head coaches since moving on from Rivera, who took the franchise to Super Bowl 50.
Quarterback Bryce Young, who was benched after two games, is set to face the Falcons for the first time this season. Andy Dalton was the starter when the Falcons thrashed the Panthers 38-20 on Oct. 13 at Bank of America Stadium.
After Dalton was injured in a car accident, Young returned to the starting lineup against Denver on Oct. 25. He has posted a 3-6 record, with victories over the Saints and Giants and a 36-30 win over the Cardinals on Dec. 22, which killed Arizona’s playoff hopes.
Young, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, spent five games on the bench.
Since returning to the lineup, he’s improved his decision-making and is not holding onto the ball too long.
The Falcons need a victory over the Panthers and a loss by the Bucs to the Saints to make the playoffs. The Falcons plan to focus their attention on the Panthers and not worry about what’s happening in Tampa.
“I don’t think you can (scoreboard watch),” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “I think you can only handle what you can handle, control what you can control.”
It won’t matter if the Falcons come out flat and get blasted by the Panthers like they did against Denver before the bye week.
“So, I think as a professional and as what I owe to Arthur Blank and his organization and our fan base, is to go out there and be completely locked in to what we’re doing, trying to win versus the Carolina Panthers,” Morris said.
The Falcons may try to copy the formula that the Bucs used against the Panthers. The blitzed Young at a high rate and amassed five sacks.
Young was pressured on 68.6% of his drop-backs, which was the highest pressure rate faced by any quarterback this season, according to Next Gen Stats. Young completed 15 of 28 passes for 203 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 100.7.
The Panthers were pleased with Young’s poise.
“He was a stud about it,” Canales told Charlotte media members Monday. “He just kept battling. They did a great job whether they were blitzing us or just rushing four with their stunts and some of those things. ... Bryce just stood in there, and he kept operating, which is what I was proud of again: to be able to just keep hunting and trying to find opportunities down the field.”
It was also the Panthers’ first game without their leading rusher, Chuba Hubbard, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a calf injury. Hubbard was having a breakout season, as he’d rushed 250 times for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Raheem Blackshear took over at running back and had eight rushes for 20 yards as the game out of hand quickly.
One of the bright spots for the Panthers has been the play of rookie wide receiver Xavier Legette. He’s their leading receiver with 46 catches for 467 yards and four touchdowns.
Veteran Adam Thielen has 43 receptions for 571 yards and five touchdowns.
The Panthers have been working on their down-the-field passing attack.
“I think Bryce could feel that, and so he was looking for those opportunities, and you know, there were a few shots down there, some near misses that I wish we could have back, and we just got to find a way to make those plays,” Canales said. “But I love the aggressive takes and those shots.”
Young had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Thielen.
This will be the 60th meeting between the teams. The Falcons led the series 37-22. The last time a team swept the season series was in 2019, when the Falcons won both matchups.
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