Atlanta
Falcons
0-0
13
FINAL
31
Carolina
Panthers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a decisive matchup to close out the regular season, the Carolina Panthers topped the Atlanta Falcons 31-13, solidifying their position heading into the playoffs. With this win, the Panthers not only secured a strong finish but also demonstrated their readiness for the postseason challenge ahead.
Bryce Young led the Panthers' offense with an impressive performance, throwing for two touchdowns while also managing key drives throughout the game. Chuba Hubbard was a force on the ground, rushing for 122 yards, showcasing his ability to break tackles and find gaps in the Falcons’ defense. Tetairoa McMillan emerged as a top target, racking up 121 receiving yards, providing Young with a reliable option at crucial moments.
Defensively, the Panthers were relentless, with Devin Lloyd making seven total tackles to anchor the unit. The game turned decisively in the second quarter when Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted a pass from Michael Penix Jr., setting up a scoring drive that stretched Carolina's lead. Jalon Walker provided a much-needed sack for Atlanta, but it wasn't enough to shift the momentum back in their favor as the Panthers controlled the game from start to finish.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 36 | 20 | 56% | 241 | 0 | 1 | 64.6 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 22 | 12 | 55% | 185 | 2 | 0 | 112.8 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 13 | 122 | 9.4 | 70 | 1 | 55 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 22 | 74 | 3.4 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 34 | 1 | 35 | 0 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 9 | 39 | 4.3 | 16 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 5 | 19 | 3.8 | — | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Kene Nwangwu | HB | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Trey Sermon | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| A.J. Dillon | HB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 4 | 121 | 30.3 | 80 | 1 | 83 | 0 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 7 | 98 | 14.0 | 22 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 4 | 72 | 18.0 | 23 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Kene Nwangwu | HB | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Murphy-Bunting | CB | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taylor Rapp | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Griffith | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendal Daniels | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Princely Umanmielen | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Jackson | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zakee Wheatley | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hughes | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 37 |
| Nick Folk | K | 2 | 3 | 1 | 37 |

