ATLANTA — There were turnovers, there were boos and there were, by and large, understandably loud voices of disapproval from fans Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the Falcons (0-2) fell 34-3 to the Panthers (1-1) in the home opener.
Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush was benched after three turnovers in seven full possessions. His day began with a fumble on the first play of the game and an interception on the second drive, and Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd intercepted his final pass of the afternoon.
The Falcons turned to backup quarterback Jack Strand, an undrafted rookie from Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead, midway through the third quarter. Strand’s first pick was deflected and turned into a pick-six for Lloyd.
All told, the Falcons’ quarterbacks combined to go 18-for-32 passing for 129 yards (including lost sack yardage), no touchdowns and three interceptions. The team found more success on the ground, rushing for 157 yards on 32 carries, but through two games, the Falcons haven’t run a play inside the red zone.
Bijan Robinson led the Falcons with 16 carries for 72 yards, while Drake London paced the team’s pass-catchers, notching four receptions for 51 yards.
The Falcons have scored only one offensive touchdown, and kicker Nick Folk has missed three field goals. They’ve had just four drives end with points this season.
On the other sideline, Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young carved through Atlanta’s defense, going 23-for-36 passing for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Carolina tallied 340 total yards to Atlanta’s 286, to go along with 18 first downs to the Falcons’ 17.
Injuries mounted for the Falcons, who lost cornerback A.J. Terrell (groin) and outside linebacker Samson Ebukam (hamstring) in the first half, then saw defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus (hand) and offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (toe) also need assistance.
The Falcons have now lost four straight games to the Panthers, including two by three-plus scores, dating back to the 2024 season. Atlanta returns to action at 8:15 p.m. Thursday for a primetime matchup against the Packers.
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