Carolina Panthers beat Falcons 38-0, seal first round bye

“I have to think about that part of it when we’re at that point of the game”.

When Panthers’ coach Ron Rivera was asked on Monday if he’s OK with that type of celebration during a game, it appeared like he may not have even known it happened. The offense begins with quarterback Cam Newton, as the fifth year player from Auburn completes 59 percent of his passes. Newton said his hand went numb, but he returned to finish the drive with a touchdown pass to TE Ed Dickson. All season we have thought about one week at a time.

There was plenty of blame to spread around.

Newton’s act of kindness has gained more attention this year because the Panthers are the NFL’s only unbeaten team after 13 games and Newton, who has accounted for 35 touchdowns this year, is the favorite to be the NFL MVP.

The Panthers are 13-0 and playing the best they ever have.

Quinn met with Alford, who will not face any team discipline. “Same play, same concepts, but we’ve just got to execute”. “He got beat over the top and our defense got beat over the top”. This team is for real.

“Quite honestly, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t anybody critical about what I decided, ” Rivera said.

The Panthers say they’re going to take things week by week and make the best decision about whether to play or rest players. Together, they accounted for three of Atlanta’s four turnovers. “In that case the message was about poise, both sides, the offense as well”.

The Cox and Hageman incident triggered the discussion. “(W)hat’s the point of having good pass rushers if u sit them at the beginning of the 4 quarter #KeepPounding”. The other led to a 26-yard loss early in the game and took the Falcons out of field goal position.

“I mean that fourth down stop just shows the fortitude on this team”, Harper said.

Defensive tackle Kawann Short leads the team with nine quarterback sacks, and he will be a handful for Giants offensive guard John Jerry to handle. This was perhaps the worst loss in Falcons franchise history since a 27-0 defeat against Tampa Bay back in 2004. Julio Jones’ matchup with Josh Norman was uneventful.

Oakland Raiders (6-7) 15 Denver Broncos (10-3) 12: Brock Osweiler couldn’t get the ball in the end zone and was sacked five times, while Derek Carr threw a couple of touchdowns to make all the difference.

Gronkowski finished with four receptions for 87 yards.

The Falcons couldn’t get anything going as Freeman was held to 40 yards on 11 carries. “This defensive line is something special and we’re like brothers, no matter what”.

Carolina defeated the Atlanta Falcons 38-0 to guarantee a first-round bye in the playoffs. The makeshift interior line of castoffs from the Titans, Redskins and Rams is starting to fall apart. Jonathan Babineaux and Vic Beasley had sacks. Newton (15-for-21, 265 yards, three scores) was so good early that he gave way to Anderson for the entire fourth quarter. He’s big, fast, strong, and can hold on to the football.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Eddie Lacy ran for 124 yards and a touchdown, fellow running back James Starks added two TDs and Green Bay won. Over their past six games, the Panthers have allowed just 304 rushing yards. Coleman had eight tackles and an interception. He had two touchbacks and placed three punts inside the 20.

The Philadelphia Eagles picked up a second successive win, 23-20 against the Buffalo Bills and their outspoken ex-Eagles running back LeSean McCoy. Brady has put up big numbers too – over 4,100 yards passing with 33 passing touchdowns. “That’s frustrating. It’s tough as a player (and) it’s tough as a coach, for sure”. They might be beyond fixing. The Falcons keep saying they are going to “fix” their problems.