Atlanta Falcons 25 at Carolina Panthers 17
October 29, 2020
Article by Allison Smith
Photos Courtesy of Atlanta Falcons
Inactives of note this week are Takk McKinley, still with the groin injury. Marlon Davidson and Jordan Miller and late scratch Ito Smith, which I can only assume is because LB Edmond Robinson was flexed to the active roster. For the Carolina Panthers, Christian McCaffrey will not play.
It is a balmy night in Charlotte, NC, where remnants of the tropical storm Zeta went through earlier in the day. At game time, it started to drizzle.
The Falcons will receive the ball to start. From the 25, Matt Ryan drops back to throw to Julio Jones at the 49. Play action again, Ryan finds Jones again for another 27 yards along the sideline. Jones comes off the field, Hayden Hurst is in motion. A fake to Todd Gurley and a pass to Hurst at the 12. Gurley gets the ball for a single yard game around the left end. In the shotgun, Ryan passes to Calvin Ridley who makes a move away from the defenders for a 7-yard gain. On 3rd and 2, Gurley gets the call up the middle for inches short of the first down. With 11 minutes to go in the first quarter, the Falcons take a time out. The offense leaves the field and Younghoe Koo kicks a 20-yard field goal.
With 11:14 to go in the first quarter, Falcons lead 3/0.
The Panthers begin on their own 25. Teddy Bridgewater throws toward DJ Moore who cannot haul it in as Kendall Sheffield and Keanu Neal combine to knock the ball out. Sheffield is hurt on the play, as Neal hit him in the side/back. On 2nd and 10, Bridgewater fires to Robby Anderson for 5 yards. Neal was closing on Bridgewater as he released the ball. Hit as he throws (by Grady Jarrett), the pass falls incomplete as Isaiah Oliver is called for PI, giving the Panthers the yards and a first down. Chased out of bounds by Dante Fowler, then tapped on the sideline by Deion Jones, Bridgewater is given another free first down. Across the 50, Mike Davis gets the ball for a 7-yard run. A quick pass to Davis gains the first down and more. He escapes Neal and is finally stopped by Jarrett. From the 29, Davis escapes all tackles, spins and switches field, lowers his shoulder and gains another first down, finally brought down by 3 Falcons. Curtis Samuel takes the next handoff in for an easy touchdown.
With 8:14 to go in the first quarter, the Panthers lead 7/3.
From the 25, Ryan hands off to Gurley who gains 4 yards. On 2nd down, Ryan finds Jones for another 13 yards. From the 42, Ryan hands to Gurley who goes 3 yards along the left side. Ryan changes the play, takes the snap and finds an open Jones in the middle near the 35-yard line for a 20-yard gain. Gurley and Hurst blocking well along the right side to give Ryan time to find Jones. Gurley is stopped at the line of scrimmage. Ryan drops back, flings the ball toward Hurst as the blitz is closing. On 3rd and 10, Ryan takes another time out. Then, the Panthers take a time out. Back on 3rd and 10, Kaleb McGary jumps and moves the Falcons back to the 41. On the 3rd and 15, Ryan finds Ridley in double to triple coverage for the first down and an extra yard. Brian Hill gets the call and goes 12 yards along the right side for a quick first down. At the 13, Ryan throws in the end zone for Jones, who cannot make the reception. No PI was called for the defender tugging and tapping Jones. Ryan throws for Jones in the corner of the end zone with two defenders in his face. On 3rd and 10, jones is off the field, Ryan is sacked. Koo comes on for another field goal.
With 3:00 to go in the first quarter, the Panthers lead 7/6.
During the kick return Keith Smith late hits the returner, so the Panthers will begin at their own 37. Bridgewater drops back and finds Anderson near the sideline, he escapes AJ Terrell’s tackle. Before the pass was thrown, there was a defensive hold, but it was declined. Jarrett gets hands on Davis’ ankles and slows him enough for the rest of the defense to get him down behind the lin. On 2nd and 14, Jarrett and Terrell converge to stop Davis at the original line of scrimmage. On 3rd and 9, Bridgewater is sacked by Oliver and Foye Oluokun for a loss of 12 yards. Oluokun came straight up the middle, while Oliver was along the left side. The quarter ends before the punt.
End of Q1: Panther 7 Falcons 6
The Falcons punt to Brandon Powell who fair catches at the 17. Ryan drops back and is picked off by Dante Jackson who is covering Ridley.
The Panthers begin on the Falcons 40. Davis is brought down by Oluokun after a 6-yard gain. ON 2nd and 4, Davis gets the ball again, along the right side this time, still stopped by Oluokun for a 2-yard gain. Bridgewater changes the play, takes the snap, passes to Samuel along the sideline, gains the first down and is knocked out by Neal. Bridgewater and Davis with the flea flicker, finds an open Samuel in the end zone. The Falcons were in zone coverage and Ricardo Allen could not catch up and knock the ball down, although he got a finger on the ball.
With 12:40 to go until half, Panthers 14/Falcons 6.
Photo Courtesy of Atlanta Falcons/Mark Brown
Again at their own 25, Hill goes along the right side for 8 yards. On 2nd and 2, Ryan gives to Hill again who goes up the middle for a 4-yard gain and first down. From the 37, Ryan finds Hurst who has to pick the ball off the ground. Before Ryan can snap the ball, the Panthers challenge the play. The play was kept. Hurst credited with the 18-yard pick up. Hill drops the next short pass. On 2nd and 10, Hurst makes the standing reception of 8 yards where he is rocked by Shaq Thompson. Quadree Ollison in at running back. Ollison pushes through for the first down. Hill gains a yard on the next play. Ridley gains 19 yards on the next pass. Nine yards on the catch, 10 yards on the YAC. His ankles were twisted up by the defender and Ridley is down on the field. From the 14, Hill gets the call, Gurley is on the sideline still. On 2nd and 9, Ryan scrambles and eventually goes into the edge of the end zone himself.
With 8:02 to go in the half, the Panthers lead is cut, Carolina 14/Atlanta 13.
Bridgewater finds Ian Thomas for a 21-yard gain, but paid for it as Jones was unblocked and leveled Bridgewater. The Panthers are on their own 46 and Samuel goes between the tackles for 9 yards and is stopped by Steven Means. Across midfield, Davis gains the first down, stopped by Neal. Bridgewater calls their final timeout of the half. Bridgewater scrambles way to his right and finally finds Anderson for a 4-yard gain. Davis pushes through the right side of the line for 3 yards. Samuel gets the handoff, Jarett gets through the double team and gets hands on Samuel to stop him on 3rd down. The Panthers go for it on 4th down. Bridgewater keeps the ball, tries to go around the edge, tries to stiff arm Oluokun, but he is stopped and shove out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage.
Falcons take over at their own 35. Ryan finds Russell Gage for the first time. Gage takes it from behind the line of scrimmage for 19 yards and a first down. Gurley is back on the field at running back. Across midfield, Ryan finds Christian Blake for 7 yards on the sideline. Hill is back in and gets the ball, makes a nice cut and is down at the 30, behind the blocking of McGary. From the 30, Ryan hands to Hill, but his stopped behind the line.
Two Minute Warning.
Gurley is back on the sideline, Jones is on the field. From the 30, Ryan finds Blake for 6 yards. Ryan scrambles and runs for a few yards, short of the first, but a flag is on the play, on defense. From the 16, Ryan throws to double covered Jones in the end zone, 42 Franklin knocks the ball up and out of Jones’ hands before his hands can close. On 2nd and 10, Ryan is sacked. On 3rd and 16, Ryan is nearly sacked, runs up 4 yards. Brian Burns easily spins off of Jake Matthews and nearly gets the sack. Koo makes another field goal.
At Halftime, Panthers 14/Falcons 16.
After the second half kickoff, the Panthers begin on their own 25. Bridgewater is under pressure and finally runs up for 8 yards. He finds Thomas for the first down, Neal stops him at the marker. Bridgewater is under pressure again, and outruns the Tyeler Davison and Fowler for 14 yards. At midfield, Davis gets the call, makes a couple of spin moves before Jarrett picks him up and lays him down. On 2nd and 5, Bridgewater passes to Davis, Neal hits him so hard, the ball flies out, #92 grabbed it, then there was a pile of players from both sides. The play goes under review. The Booth determined there was no catch. Oluokun had penetration to force a bad throw and nearly ended up with the fumble recovery. It is 3rd and 5 at the 46. Bridgewater hits Anderson, short of the first down where Terrell ensures he gains no yards after the catch. On 4th and 2, the Panthers come on to punt, then change their minds and the offense returns to the field. Davis gets the call and Oluokon and Jarrett stop him behind the line.
Falcons begin on their own 43. Gurley is brought down way in the backfield by Tre Boston, for a loss of 4 yards. Ryan starts to run again, then sees Jones 23 yards down the field. From the Panthers 38, Ryan fakes the handoff and passes to Smith, who cannot hold onto the ball, at the line of scrimmage. On 2nd and 10, Ryan hands to Gurley this time and he makes a move and crosses the first down marker. From the 27, Ryan hands to Gurley gain for 2 yards and another 2 yards. ON 3rd and 6, Ryan sees the blitz and rushes to his right and he throws an incompletion. There was a hold by the defense for the defender holding and yanking the jersey of Blake downfield. The Falcons have a 1st down on the 18. Hurst cannot haul in the pass. Gurley goes up the middle for a single yard. Ryan changes the play, takes the snap, and flips it to Gage crossing in the middle of the field, short of the first down marker. Koo makes the 30-yard attempt.
With 6:26 to go in the 3rd quarter, Falcons lead 19/14.
The Panthers begin on their 31. Bridgewater sees the blitz coming, Jones closing and forcing an errant pass. Bridgewater finds Chris Manhertz and is stopped by Sheffield. Bridgewater goes long for Samuel, but overthrows him. Terrell in tight coverage. On 4th down, the Panthers are charged with a delay of game and punt on 4th and 9. It is a fake, a direct snap to Jeremy Chinn, who gains 28 yards. Davis cuts back for 3 yards. On 2nd down, the pass is tipped at the line by Charles Harris. On 3rd and 7 from the 37, Bridgewater is tripped by Fowler. He falls and is hit by two more Falcons. Bridgewater is down on the field. Harris is ejected for his late hit on Bridgewater once he was on the ground. From the 24, PJ Walker goes to the end zone to Anderson, Terrell in perfect coverage ensuring the ball cannot be caught. After the snap and hand off and reverse, Anderson gets back to the line of scrimmage with Oliver on the stop. On 3rd and 7, the pass is high and incomplete. Joey Slye kicks the 39-yard field.
With 2:59 to play in the 3rd, the Falcons lead is cut to 19/17.
From the 25, Ryan hands to Gurley who is tackled from behind by Chinn. Gurley immediately leaves the field. On 2nd and 7, Ryan finds Hill just past the line of scrimmage. Ryan scrambles and runs again and gets 10 yards and a first down. From the 38, Hill finds a huge hole and gains 15 yards. Across midfield, the Falcons cause a neutral zone infraction and get a free 5 yards.
End of Q3: Falcons 19/Panthers 17.
Gurley finds 4 ½ yards. Play action and Ryan finds Hurst for 12 yards. Gurley leaps over one defender, then forced out by another after a single yard gain. Ryan finds Jones who is at the first down marker. Gurley hesitates, then gains 7 yards. Gurley jams and spins behind an Alex Mack and Smith block and gest down to the 5-yard line. On the next play, Gurley goes behind a James Carpenter and Smith block for the touchdown. Koo misses the extra point.
With 11:01 to go in the game, the Falcons lead 25/17. An 8-point game.
Bridgewater stays on the sidelines. Davis gets the handoff and goes for 8 yards, stopped finally by Jones. Walker hands to Davis again for a 12-yard first down, stopped by Terrell. An incomplete pass gives Bridgewater enough time to recover. On 2nd and 10, he finds Anderson for a 5-yard gain where Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Oliver combine for a stop. On 3rd and 5, Bridgewater throws to Samuel behind the line of scrimmage where Wreh-Wilson is immediately for the stop. The Panthers punt this time with the ball going out of bounds at the 5.
Ryan hands to Hill who gains 2 yards. Ryan drops back and passes behind Hill who forces his way past the first down marker. From the 16, Hill runs into a wall, rolls off the pile and gains one yard. A flag for defensive holding moves the Falcons up 5 yards and provides a first down. From the 22, Hill gets the ball again, 3 yards along the left side. The Falcons call a timeout from the sideline. On 2nd and 7 from the 25, with Hurst in motion, Ryan finds him at the 30 for a 5-yard gain. Ryan is sacked by Burns. A defender was holding Hurst and another first down. Ryan finds Jones again for 20 yards, down at the Panthers 45. Gurley is smashed behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 4 yards, behind a missed McGary block. Ryan quick throws at the line to Gage, the ball pop ups, but no one catches it and it falls incomplete. Gurley returns to the field. On 3rd and 14, Ryan tosses to Gurley who goes 5 yards before running out of bounds. Sterling Hoffrichter punts to the 5.
With 2:58 to go in the game, the Panthers are down by 8 and have 95 yards to go. DJ Moore gets the reception for a 13-yard gain and goes out of bounds to stop the clock. Bridgewater passes to Anderson for minimal gain, but there is a flag on the play. Fowler jumped offsides, moving the ball up 5 yards. On 1st and 5 from the 23, Bridgewater sees the blitz and starts to run, Jones stops him after 3 yards. Oluokun had good pressure forcing Bridgewater out of the pocket. On 2nd and 2, Bridgewater finds Thomas just past the marker and is stopped by Terrell.
Two Minute Warning
The Panthers have the ball at their own 32. The safeties are playing tight to the line of scrimmage, a blitz from Jones and Jarrett and Bridgewater throws towards a receiver. Bridgewater is sacked by Jones for a loss of 7. Jarrett was right behind him. The Panthers take their first time out. On 3rd and 17, Bridgewater is hit as he throws and finds Moore for a 42-yard gain. The next pass is underthrown. From the Falcons 34 Bridgewater is scrambling and has to run out of bounds after a gain of 4. On 3rd and 6, Bridgewater gets a delay of game call. But they claim the Panthers’ sideline called a time out first. Bridgewater drops back, throws a bomb to BLIDI WREH-WILSON. Wreh-Wilson leaped high in the air to make the grab and seal the game.
The offense takes the field to kneel down twice. In 2020, we didn’t even know that was still a thing.
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