That was one of the most embarrasing losses in Atlanta Falcons history.
Coming off a dominant road win over the Vikings—who beat the Bengals in blowout fashion— the Falcons felt confident against an 0-2 Panthers team. However, that was quickly extinguished after missing an opening-drive field goal.
It was hard to find any winners in this game, while I could've listed an exorbitant number of 'honorable mentions' in the losers category. Nevertheless, we will keep it to three winners and four losers.
Falcons winners and losers from Week 3 blowout loss to Panthers
Loser: Raheem Morris, HC
A loss like this lands directly on the shoulders of the head man, Raheem Morris. His team was far from ready, and it was evident.
It started with his offense's struggles to get to the line (partly due to headset issues) and ended with his weird time management to end the game. It all felt unbelievably disjointed.
Winner: Kaden Elliss, LB
It was far from a perfect game from the Falcons' defensive captain, but that can be said about everyone.
It often felt as if Elliss was the only one playing with heart out on the field. He flew around with energy, racking up a sack, three tackles for loss, and a team-high nine tackles. It was impressive to see him continue to play like it was a close game.
Loser: Michael Penix Jr., QB
Michael Penix Jr. took a major step back against a poor Panthers defense. While it wasn't all his fault, he missed passes, looked antsy, and made rookie mistakes.
I do believe that there is a major problem at the wide receiver position. The quarterback is not getting any help from two specific players, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud III. He has to get his timing right with his receivers, or this team will go nowhere quickly.
Winner: Dee Alford, CB
Dee Alford held up on the outside for the most part. It feels like his move outside has really helped him after his terrible 2024 campaign.
The new starter with A.J. Terrell out broke up two passes and contested many others, doing a pretty solid job against Tetairoa McMillan. He was called for defensive pass interference, but it was a weak call.
If he keeps this up, he could push himself into Mike Hughes' spot when Terrell returns.
Loser: Darnell Mooney, WR
It has been frustrating watching Darnell Mooney since his return from injury. He hasn't looked anything like his 2024 self.
Whether it is drops, not throttling down in the zone holes, or running the wrong route, he is making Penix Jr. look worse than he is. He has to step up immediately if this team wants to get the ball into the end zone.
Winner: Jeff Ulbrich's Defense
At first glance, it seems like the defense didn't have a good game, but that is far from the truth. They allowed 23 points (taking the pick-six into account) on countless short fields thanks to the turnovers, turnovers on downs, and bad punts.
The box score does not reflect the scoreboard; the Falcons bested the Panthers in first downs, total plays, 3rd down efficiency, passing yards, rushing yards, and penalties.
Loser: Special teams
If you don't think special teams matter, then you didn't watch this game. The Falcons hurt themselves countless times on the third phase of the game.
It started with Parker Romo's two missed field goals, and was followed by bad punts and whatever the heck Nathan Carter was doing on kickoff returns. There were so many yards lost on special teams.