Carolina Panthers: Top takeaways from Week 2 loss to Atlanta Falcons

The Carolina Panthers came up just short in their Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. These are the top takeaways from the 31-24 loss to the Falcons.

The Carolina Panthers were heading into their first divisional game of the season dealing with a number of injuries, specifically with question marks along the offensive line. The team not only would be down Daryl Williams but also ruled out Trai Turner, who was dealing with a concussion.

The line the team ended up going with consisted of starting Tyler Larsen at right guard, moving Taylor Moton back to right tackle and starting Chris Clark at left tackle. The Panthers signed Clark this week as a free agent but felt he was ready to go for this game.

Even with all the shuffling up front, the Panthers offense was able to move the ball pretty easily against this Falcons’ defense, that was dealing with injuries of their own to key players like Keanu Neal and Deion Jones. The Panthers finished the game with 439 total yards, including 318 passing by Cam Newton.

The biggest concern coming out of this game though may be on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers defense struggled to stop Matt Ryan and this offense as they were able to gain 442 total yards of their own. The run game was on full display, even without Devonta Freeman, and they were able to grind out 170 yards on the ground.

These are the top takeaways for the Carolina Panthers from Week 2.