Even though they produced their highest point total since Week 10 of the 2021 season, the Carolina Panthers could not walk out of an overtime thriller against the Atlanta Falcons with the division lead.
It was a loss defined by resilience and promise, but ultimately decided by missed kicks, costly penalties and poor defense.
So, with the good and the bad, here are our studs and duds from Sunday’s game.
Stud: RB D’Onta Foreman
With Chuba Hubbard sidelined with an ankle injury, Foreman assumed the lead role out of the backfield and didn’t disappoint. The 26-year-old running back put together his second consecutive 100-yard day, rushing for 118 yards and three touchdowns.
Those scores single-handedly put the Panthers over their notorious 17-point barrier Sunday, setting them up for one of the best offensive performances in recent memory. Plus, on a personal note for Foreman, that three-score outing was the first of his career.
Dud: K Eddy Piñeiro
The Panthers’ overtime loss can’t be blamed on one player, but Piñeiro missed two chances to seal the game for his team.
The first one was less of his fault, as DJ Moore drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on his touchdown celebration to push the extra point attempt back to a 48-yard kick. Piñeiro ended up missing that kick, sending the game to overtime.
The second miss, however, was even more devastating. After cornerback CJ Henderson picked off Marcus Mariota to set Carolina up for a game-winning 32-yard field goal, Piñeiro yanked it left and turned the ball over on downs. Mariota and the Falcons marched downfield to attempt their own 41-yarder. Naturally, Younghoe Koo drilled it through the uprights and led his team out of the stadium with a win.
Stud: WR DJ Moore
It’s tough to put Moore in the stud column after his roller coaster of a fourth-quarter. However, the elite receiver hauled in six receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown, including the aforementioned game-tying score at the tail end of the fourth quarter. Moore, once again, drew the most targets (11) from PJ Walker, proving his ability to be a potent No. 1 wideout on a capable offense.
Unfortunately, his fourth-quarter penalty was one of the immediate factors that cost the Panthers a regulation victory. If Moore didn’t draw the unsportsmanlike conduct call, Piñeiro would have had the chance to win the game from 33 yards instead of 48. Of course, Moore is the reason the Panthers had the chance to win the game at all, so it would be unfair to blame him.
Dud: LT Brady Christensen
Although the Carolina offensive line did a good job of protecting Walker throughout the game, they also drew plenty of avoidable flags that set the team back. Two of the most devastating ones were committed by Christensen on one of the Panthers’ final drives in the fourth quarter.
The first—an offensive holding call—negated an 8-yard scramble by Walker into opposing territory. Overall, the team’s nine penalties accounted for 74 yards against Carolina, holding back the offense significantly.
Stud: QB PJ Walker
Given his recent performance, Walker should have earned himself the starting gig for the Panthers for the rest of the season. Although he only finished with a very passable 52.8-percent completion clip, Walker threw for 317 yards and managed the game effectively.
He also launched the game-tying touchdown pass 62 yards through the air to Moore, the most air yards on a touchdown since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2006. It also garnered high praise from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who called it “the best throw of the year.”
Dud: RB Spencer Brown
While Foreman was always set to start for the Panthers, there was also an opportunity for Brown and Raheem Blackshear to command a portion of the touches. Neither, though, took advantage of the opportunity.
Brown finished with six rushing attempts for 27 yards, while Blackshear finished with just two carries for one yard. Moreover, Brown whiffed on a crucial block leading to a sack on Walker, further hurting his case to become a part of the running back committee in Carolina.
