Panthers defense quickly turns page on Week 1 disappointment, finds swagger in 34-3 rout of Falcons

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers defense was embarrassed by the Chicago Bears in Week 1 in allowing 552 yards and a franchise-record 59 points.

Linebacker Devin Lloyd made sure that wasn't going to happen again Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

Carolina completely shut down Atlanta and third-string quarterback Cooper Rush on the road, forced five turnovers and limited the Falcons to 286 yards in a 34-3 victory that left the defending NFC South champion Panthers (1-1) tied for first place in the division.

The Falcons never reached inside the Carolina 20.

Panthers coach Dave Canales gave kudos to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for getting players “locked back in” following a rough outing as the team works through a transition period.

The Panthers have six new starters from last season on defense because of personnel changes and injuries. Canales said it has taken some time to get everyone on the same page.

He began to see some cohesiveness on Sunday.

"It was like everyone was connected and kind of working on a string," Canales said. “I saw a lot of that chemistry that I talked about. How are we going to be our best? When we start playing together.”

The Panthers were also more aggressive in Week 2.

Canales said his defense “challenged” and ”attacked" the Falcons skill players on offense.

“The secondary showed up in the run game with more physicality," Canales said. "Their skill players, we got up in their faces and attacked the ball.”

Lloyd was the key that kept it all together.

The offseason free agent pickup from Jacksonville had nine tackles (including two for a loss), three pass breakups, a sack and two interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown.

Canales called it “one of the most dominant linebacker performances” he has seen in his 17 years of coaching.

Lloyd said the goal this week was playing more physical up front and stopping Bijan Robinson. The Panthers did just that. Robinson was limited to 72 yards on 16 carries and 9 yards receiving on three catches.

Carolina forced Rush to fumble on the game's first drive and came up with three interceptions overall.

“We know what we have on this team,” Lloyd said. “The biggest thing was us responding and really just putting it on film, making it come to life.”

What’s working

Bryce Young is off to the best start of his career. Entering Monday, he is tied for the lead with six touchdown passes. The Panthers are second in the league in points scored (71) behind only the Buffalo Bills and fourth in yards per game entering Monday.

Now in his third season running the same offense, Young completed 23 of 36 passes for 287 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday with some pinpoint throws to his receivers.

Young's issues with getting in and out of the huddle fast enough — something that plagued him for portions of his first three seasons — seem to be a thing of the past.

What needs help

The Panthers needed someone to step up as a punt returner after waiving Jimmy Horn last week following a fumbled punt in Week 1 that led to a Bears touchdown.

Canales was expected to use John Metchie in that role on Sunday, but instead turned to Jalen Coker.

The third-year pro had two punt returns for 49 yards, including a 36-yarder that set the Panthers up in Atlanta territory.

Stock up

The Panthers brought in veteran Darren Waller late in training camp to give Young a proven pass-catching tight end — and it hasn't taken him long to pay dividends.

After having a touchdown called back in Week 1 for offensive pass interference, the 6-foot-6 Waller responded with two touchdown catches against the Falcons.

Waller, who is mostly being used in the red zone, has caught five passes for 61 yards in two games.

Stock down

The Panthers offensive line looked solid on Sunday opening holes for Chuba Hubbard and protecting Young. But there is still room for improvement.

Carolina's O-line — and by extension, its tight ends — were flagged for nine penalties totaling 83 yards. That included three holding calls, three false starts, two illegal shifts and one illegal hands to the race.

Those penalties wiped out two big runs by Hubbard.

Three of the penalties came against guard Robert Hunt, the team's highest-paid offensive lineman who received a $100 million contract last offseason, in the first six minutes of the game.

Injuries

Canales said RB Jonathan Brooks will be getting imaging on his injured groin after leaving the game late in the fourth quarter. He offered no update on Brooks' status Monday.

The Panthers will also be monitoring the status of safety Nick Scott (ribs) and linebacker Claudin Cherelus (shoulder) this week at practice. Both left Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Canales is hopeful that linebacker Pat Jones might return after missing the first two games of the season.

Key number

88.8% — Coker has been targeted 18 times and caught 16 of those passes for 204 yards.

Next steps

The Panthers look to continue their momentum on Sunday when they travel to Cleveland to face the Browns, who are coming off a 23-19 road win over Tampa Bay.

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