Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 16

The Atlanta Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, 33-16. It was another convincing win that moves the Falcons one step closer to the NFC South title.

The Atlanta Falcons did exactly what they needed to do in beating the Panthers on Saturday. It was a convincing win that moved the Falcons to a 6-2 road record and their 10th win of the season. More importantly, the 33-16 victory alleviated many concerns of a potential late-season Atlanta implosion.

Today’s game was a tale of two quarterbacks having completely different seasons. Matt Ryan continued his march to the Most Valuable Player award in completing 27-of-33 passes for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Ryan was well-protected throughout most of the game and continued Atlanta’s trend of spreading the ball around.

An NFL record, 13 different Falcons’ receivers have now caught touchdown passes from Ryan this season. Reserve tight ends Joshua Perkins and DJ Tialavea caught their first career touchdown passes today.

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Things weren’t so great for Cam Newton on the other side of the field. The Panthers’ quarterback completed 18-of-43 passes for 198 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Many of Newton’s missed throws were downright awful. He made several bad reads, forced plays, and often threw off his back foot.

The Atlanta Falcons defense didn’t make the game easy for Carolina. Atlanta’s secondary was locked onto Panther receivers throughout a majority of all four quarters and allowed few big plays. Linebacker Deion Jones was an absolute madman; posting 8 tackles and 5 assists. There were a number of plays in which Jones chased down Newton and helped keep a lid on Greg Olsen.

Less than a year removed from a Super Bowl, the Panthers head to Week 17 in need of some serious soul-searching. Meanwhile, a trip to the playoffs for the Falcons is all but guaranteed. Atlanta can actually celebrate the NFC South title with a Tampa Bay loss to the Saints.

Falcons Nation asked for the big, Christmas Eve win and the Birds delivered. Bring on the egg nog.

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