The Atlanta Falcons needed this game, and they needed the Saints to beat the Buccaneers. New Orleans surprisingly showed up to smother the Buccaneers through three quarters, but the Falcons? The Falcons did not show up, especially on defense, and ultimately lost their second straight game in overtime. Because the Buccaneers won the end result didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but it mattered in the sense that the Falcons could have used a win to make us feel better about their 2025 prospects. They couldn’t get it done.

After a slow start and with a couple of misfires mixed in, the Falcons offense largely delivered. Michael Penix connected on multiple long passing plays, ran in a touchdown, and generally was sharp while Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier rumbled through the heart of the Carolina defense. The end result was that the Falcons scored over 30 points for the second time in three weeks, showing special potential with their cast of playmakers getting the ball from Penix. Heck, they almost scored 40.

But defense was awful, and that meant what should have been a walking-away victory for the team was not. Missed field goals and fourth down attempts gave the Panthers short fields, which increased the degree of difficulty, but the side of the ball that had come up with some impressive pressure and big plays in recent weeks basically failed to do anything against Bryce Young and Carolina. They did not sack Young, and in fact allowed him to repeatedly extend plays with his legs and even score on a fourth quarter scramble, turning long downs into easy first downs over and over again. They ultimately lost in overtime because of that. It was the kind of humiliating effort a defensive-minded head coach and his embattled, hand-picked defensive coordinator couldn’t have to end the season, and it makes me wonder if Lake might actually be at risk of losing his job.

The net effect was a thoroughly underwhelming performance that made me feel worse about this Falcons team in 2024—they did far too much of this during this up-and-down season—and better about 2025, given how good Penix, Robinson, and London looked and the thought that this team can’t possibly stand pat on defense. There’s so much to like from this offense and so much to question about their team’s defense and coaching staff, and the days ahead will tell us how much the Falcons themselves think they need to do in order to turn a disappointing finish to this 2024 campaign into an actually successful 2025 season.

Here’s a drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched.

1st Quarter

The Panthers kicked off, and he took it back to the 29 yard line. Bijan Robinson fought through contact for four yards. Robinson then took it five yards, once again evading multiple tackle attempts. Tyler Allgeier then picked up four yards and a first down. Michael Penix then threw it well behind Drake London for an incompletion. KhaDarel Hodge hauled in the next zippy sideline pass. Penix then missed Ray-Ray McCloud on the sideline high. Penix then hit McCloud for nine yards. Robinson then got loose to pick up well over 10 yards. Penix then was under pressure and floated one away. Then Penix tried Hodge over the middle and he simply dropped it. Penix then fired one into the end zone for London, but it was just behind London and a Panthers defender came in hard to knock it loose. Riley Patterson narrowly hit the short field goal to make it 3-0 Falcons.

Touchback. Bryce Young rolled out and threw it to Xavier Legette for about five yards, and Legette was hurt on the play. Miles Sanders then got two yards on a run to the left. Adam Thielen then made a leaping third down grab working against A.J. Terrell to pick up 24 yards. A trick play pass from Jalen Coker to Miles Sanders then picked up another 24 yards. Sanders got a yard on first down. A faked handoff and throw to Thielen went nowhere after Justin Simmons got him. Young then tried a end zone shot to Legette but missed badly. The field goal try was good to make it 3-3.

Williams got the kick at the 8 and returned it to the 30. Bijan got maybe a yard on the next carry. Drake London then got about eight yards and had his helmet pop off on a short pass from Penix. Robinson got just a smidge less than a yard to make it 4th and a foot or so. Robinson then got just enough to pick up the first. A short pass to Allgeier after Penix couldn’t find anything downfield picked up six yards. Allgeier then got close to four yards to make it third and short. Allgeier then plunged through the middle to pick up another first. Allgeier then got five yards on first down. Penix tried a sideline ball to Bijan, but he was unfortunately out of bounds with the grab. The next pass to London was in London’s hands (if a bit high), and he simply dropped it. Penix then came out passing on fourth down, but got hit as he threw and it went into the dirt. Turnover on downs.

Sanders picked up four yards on first down. A throw to Thielen then went for about three yards.

2nd Quarter

Mike Boone then found a gap and got the first down, but a Nate Landman tackle kept it from being a much bigger play. Young then threw it away. Legette took a short pass and turned it into a first down. Sanders then got about seven yards before Alford tackled him. Sanders then caught a short one and put a move on Kaden Elliss for a first down. Young tried one rolling away from pressure but threw it behind Legette. Sanders then fell forward for about three yards. Under pressure, Young hit a wide open Legette inside the five yard line on a leaping grab. On the next play, Young got away from a couple of defenders and ran it in for a touchdown. 10-3 Panthers.

Bijan then got four yards. Penix then hit McCloud on the sideline for a first down. An incompletion to Bijan followed. Penix then threw another bullet to London, who got away from two defenders to pick up 25ish yards. Bijan then broke an ankle tackle and picked up 16 yards. He came back and ran it left for about nine yards, and then picked up a couple of yards and a first down. Robinson then ran it again to pick up about five yards, but he was crushed for a short loss on second down. Penix then ran in his first career NFL touchdown, extending on a dive to get it in. 10-10 tie.

Raheem Blackshear picked up about four yards. Young then got away from pressure and was able to hit a receiver for a first down. Blackshear then picked up over 25 yards on the ground. Blackshear then picked up nothing on the next carry, but Young threw a deep shot to Sanders and got it for a touchdown. 17-10 Panthers.

Touchback. Penix then hit London for about nine yards. Penix then hit Kyle Pitts over the middle for a first down and another nine yards. Penix bought time with his legs and then hit London on the sideline for a first down. Robinson then took it and picked up about 20 yards on the ground thanks in part to some tremendous blocking. He got about three yards on first down. Robinson then showed patience to wait until a hole opened and he plunged in for a touchdown. 17-17 tie.

Sanders caught a swing pass and picked up about five yards, managing to get out of bounds. On the next play, Matthew Judon jumped, which meant the subsequent sack did not count for Atlanta. Jalen Coker then caught it and was pushed out of bounds short of the first down, thanks to A.J. Terrell. The Panthers punted.

After the fair catch just short of the 20, Penix hit London again for a big pickup of about 20. Penix then threw one in the dirt toward London under pressure. Penix evaded a sack, threw it to Bijan, and Bijan dropped it. But then Penix threw a beautiful deep ball to McCloud for 42 yards, giving Atlanta a shot at the field goal. They stayed on the field for Penix to take a shot to London in the end zone, and that fell incomplete. Then he tried it again and got London that time, and though London loomed over a defender and earned a penalty, Riley Patterson hit the extra point try. 24-17 Falcons.

The Panthers kneeled it out.

3rd Quarter

After a touchback, Terrell took down Jalen Coker on a quick swing pass for no gain. A five yard run followed, and then Clark Phillips broke up the third down pass. Punt, and it landed just outside the 10.

Bijan took his first carry of the half for nine yards, and followed that with six yards and a first down. Penix then fired in a low one to McCloud, who popped it into the air for an interception. Panthers ball.

A shot over the middle to Adam Thielen was dropped, thanks to Dee Alford getting a hand on it. Sanders then took it up the middle and got a yard after David Onyemata took him down. Thielen then caught the pass just shy of a first down after Young threw it up under pressure, but Raheem Morris challenged the catch. The ruling stood, and Young had a wide open Tommy Tremble in the end zone for a touchdown.

A Natrone Brooks return went just past the 30 yard line. Tyler Allgeier took it for about six yards on first down. Allgeier then picked up three yards on second down, and then got the blocks to pick up 17 yards on the ground. Allgeier then took it again for 10 yards. He followed that up with a one yard run up the middle. A short pass to Bijan lost yardage. Penix tried to run away from pressure, but Clowney got him for a sack. Then Riley Patterson tried it from 52 yards, and he missed badly. Panthers ball.

Miles Sanders picked up seven yards on first down. Young then bought time with his legs and ran for the first down. Young then threw it away trying to get Tremble. Sanders was then swallowed up after a couple of yards. Another third down conversion followed with a throw over the middle to Coker. Sanders then picked up about five yards. Sanders then picked up an easy first down. Young was then ridden down after a two yard scramble by Onyemata. A quick touchdown to David Moore followed, one featuring a missed tackle. 31-24 Panthers.

On the next play, though, Penix hit London way downfield for a gain of 40 yards. Robinson then picked up three yards.

4th Quarter

Robinson then picked up five yards, but then he picked up another six yards and a first. BIjan then got around four yards, but a holding call backed up Atlanta ten yards. McCloud was the target on the next throw, but he was hit hard as he brought it in and it popped loose. A quick pass up the middle to Allgeier picked up about ten yards. Then Penix hit McCloud just shy of the first down for a 4th and 1. Bijan then just barely got across the line to pick up a first down. The Falcons then got hit with a false start, and Robinson caught a short pass for about five yards. On the next play, Penix got away from pressure but threw it away. Another holding call on the Falcons backed them up. The second and 20 pass was knocked down by Jadeveon Clowney. That set up a third and 20, but Penix being Penix, he fired one in to London over the middle for a touchdown. 31-31 tie.

Mike Boone picked up four yards on first down. A quick pass then got a first down for Coker. Once again, Young got away from pressure to hit Coker for about seven yards. A run up the middle then got a yard before Boone was pushed backwards. On third down, a 17 yard run gave Carolina an easy first down, but on the next play they tried a trick pass from Adam Thielen that fell incomplete and David Moore was hit with a facemask call working against Clark Phillips. On the next play, though, Young hit Sanders for a first down on 1st and 25. Boone picked up seven yards on the next play, and then Young under pressure hit JaTavion Sanders for two yards. Young then got away from pressure and scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown. 38-31 Panthers.

The Falcons began from the 30 yard line, with Robinson carrying it for 13 yards on first down. Robinson then rolled it for another nine yards, and then picked up four yards and a first down. Then Penix hit London for a first down over the middle. Robinson then picked up close to 10 yards. The next ball came in for London, but he dropped it. On the next play, he simply missed London deep. Then he hit London against for a first down, and then found Pitts for six yards on first down. Bijan then got the handoff up the middle to get a first down. On the next play, Bijan bounced it outside to score another touchdown, showcasing the patience and speed we love from him. 38-38 tie.

After a quick three and out, the Falcons let Robinson run it for a first down and let the clock wind down. Overtime.

Overtime

The Panthers won the toss. Sanders took it four yards on first down, and then found plenty of room to pick up 11 yards and a first down. A quick pass to Tremble then picked up 15 yards. Sanders was then swallowed up for a short loss. Young then found Thielen for six yards. A first down and eight yards followed. Sanders then lost a yard. Another first down throw followed as the Panthers ground the clock down. Young evaded pressure and hit Coker for a first down, setting the Panthers up at the one yard line. Sanders plunged in for a win, and Atlanta lost 44-38 in overtime.