CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers’ season was on the line Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium.
Atlanta entered the week tied for first in the NFC South, but the Panthers clawed their way back into playoff contention by beating the Falcons 25-15. The win puts Carolina just 1.5 games back of the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers’ defense responded in dominant fashion on a short week after the Cincinnati Bengals ran over them last Sunday. Atlanta gained less than 300 yards, turned it over twice and ran the ball only 23 times, 10 carries under its per-game average.