Embarrassing.

Falcons fritter away winnable game to feeble Panthers

Sep 21, 2025

30-0.

That set of numbers may not have as many bad memories for the Falcons and their fans as 28-3, but at least until the Falcons win again, it might as well.

That was the score of today’s game, which there was every reasonable expectation that the Falcons would ace this game against cellar-dwelling NFC South-mates Carolina Panthers. But the Falcons have a way of defying expectations, and not in a good way.

In Week 3, they got shut out by the Panthers, 30-0. That 0 means what it implies. The Falcons did nothing, and they got nothing. No offense, no defense, no clutch plays, not even any successful field goals. (That last one is noteworthy in itself, but I’ll get to that later.)

I’m not joking when I mentioned above the comatose nature of the Falcons’ play today. The Panthers smacked the Dirty Birds with four touchdowns while the Falcons couldn’t pass Carolina’s 31-yard line. Atlanta’s defense was powerless to stop the Panthers from rushing down the field. The goose egg Falcons score is a clear indicment of the offense and the playcalling of Zac Robinson. Meanwhile, even last game’s defensive wonder Bijan Robinson was held to 72 rushing yards today.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has yet to live up to his promise as QB1 for the Falcons. No wide receivers or tight ends caught a touchdown pass from him today, or this season so far.

Penix Jr. had a rough day, going 18 of 36 for 172 yards, more than Panthers’ QB Bryce Young went for, 121 yards. He threw two interceptions and couldn’t connect with any Falcon for a TD pass. Kirk Cousins was brought in in the 4th quarter to finish what had become a brutal game for Penix Jr. and the Falcons. The Falcons would turn the ball over three times today.

And if that wasn’t enough, Parker Romo, who was perfect in his kicks last Sunday, missed both of his 3-point field goals. (Those ironically were the only times the Falcons came close to the end zone today.) Somewhere, ex-Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo must be feeling a certain way today.

Like Coach Raheem Morris said in a quick post-game presser, “today, we hit an all-time low.”

There’s talk of communication issues caused by a defective headset in Penix Jr.’s helmet at the beginning of the game. It was reportedly repaired before the first half, but the gear issue does not explain the poor performance across the board with this team.

This is the second loss in two meetings with the Carolina Panthers. Yes, those Carolina Panthers. The ones that finished dead last in the NFC South the past two seasons. The same Panthers that the Falcons would finish comfortably ahead of in those said seasons. They are also the same Panthers that walked away with an unexpected victory in the last game of last season, same as today’s game.

Penix knows he has to be better. “At the end of the day, I have to make those plays,” he said after the game. “I have to find my guys that are open.”

He’s not the only one wearing red, white, and black on that field that needs some not-quite midseason-yet soul searching.

If this team is to compete in the NFL to get anywhere close to the playoffs, let alone back to the Super Bowl to finally get a chance to get that 28-3 monkey off their backs, they’ve got to demonstrate some offensive and defensive improvement AND consistency. Across the board. You simply cannot outplay playoff-ready teams like the Eagles, Packers, and Bucs when you can’t even take on bottom feeders like the Panthers.

Unfortunately, the Falcons are like a luxury car that looks hot and can go 0-60 in 5 seconds, but in reality spends more time on the rack in the auto shop than on the road.

Sure, the season is still young and there’s still much more football to play, but with a tough season to navigate through and an early bye ahead before they take on a hot Washington Commanders team next week, the Falcons can’t afford to rest easy.

And they sure can’t afford too many more losses like today’s.

Notes:

-Robinson is Baller of today’s Game for the second straight week. That 72 yards was the best standing of any on the team today. Those came from 13 carries.

-The Falcons’ loss today means the Panthers move ahead of them in the NFC South standings, with only the New Orleans Saints keeping them from hitting bottom. The Bucs (so far) look unstoppable at 3-0.

-The Falcons’ next game is against the D.C. Commanders, who are 2-1 on the season.