3. Pass Rush
You gotta give it up to the Falcons pass rush today. Although they gave up way too many points in the fourth quarter, they were a big reason Atlanta won. Dwight Freeney, Vic Beasley and Co. were consistently putting pressure and getting hits on the Panther QB’s. They tallied up a sack (Freeney) and 8 QB hits. As a result, Atlanta was able to snuff out multiple Carolina drives .
The pressure the Falcons finally created, caused Cam Newton frustration all afternoon. This was up until Newton was forced to leave the game due to a concussion. Once Derek Anderson entered, the Falcons went prevent and lost some of the pressure. But all in all it was a solid performance and one that Atlanta needs to build on.