ATLANTA (AP) — For the third week in a row, the Atlanta Falcons were in position to win the game late in the fourth quarter.
And for the third week in a row, they failed at an important moment.
Now a season that already looked lost has taken another turn for the worse, with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. out at least four weeks with a left knee injury.
On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers extended Atlanta's losing streak to five games. Bryce Young led the Panthers to a 30-27 overtime victory, throwing for a franchise-record 448 yards. Penix left the game in the third quarter, and the team announced Monday that he would be placed on injured reserve. Penix runs tests to determine the severity of the injury.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Sunday he doesn't feel the need to do anything radically new to stop the trend.
“It's hard to say that when you keep losing games like this,” he said. “These games come down to one-possession games. You just have to find a way to win. You have to find a way to do something different to win this football game. You have to find a way to make this game. 'Dramatic' is going to be a little overkill when you end games in these close games against very good football teams. We need to find a way to win them.”
The Patriots, Colts and Panthers are 23-9 overall, but the 3-7 Falcons have had a chance to win the last three weeks. Key mistakes ranged from a missed extra point and an errant shotgun punt against the Patriots to the defense's inability to hold the Colts on third-and-21 and fourth-and-2 late in last week's game and then failing to keep the Panthers out of the end zone in the final two minutes on Sunday despite a fourth-and-4 earlier in the game.
“(We had) a couple different opportunities to find a way to win these football games,” Morris said. “We keep putting ourselves at a disadvantage and we keep losing, and that has to stop.”
What works
Wide receiver Drake London continues his ascension. After being questionable due to illness and back problems, he had seven catches for 119 yards and was third in the NFL in receiving yards per game with 90.
London also tied the Panthers with three penalties before leaving the game late in the game with a knee injury. London's connection to Penix has been strong throughout the season. After Kirk Cousins entered the game early in the third quarter, London had just one reception for 6 yards on three targets in the team's final five possessions.
What needs help
The Falcons held on to two of their top three cornerbacks in Dee Alford and Mike Hughes in a career-high performance for Young. A week after the Colts rushed for 323 yards, the Falcons matched that mark and gave up just 67 yards on the ground to the Panthers. But the pass defense allowed 419 passing yards and three touchdowns. Natron Brooks was outscored by Xavier Legette in the third quarter, and poor plays by Ronnie Harrison and Billy Bowman Jr. over Tommy Tremble led to the Panthers' game-winning field goal in overtime.
Stock up
Zane Gonzalez, the Falcons' third kicker this season, made a pair of kicks late in the fourth quarter. His 52-yard field goal with 2:43 remaining gave Atlanta a 24–19 lead. He then sent the game into overtime with a 45-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining. He's now 3-for-3 since replacing Parker Romo, with all three attempts longer than 40 yards.
Stocks fell
The Falcons' offense stalled when Cousins entered the game in place of the injured Penix. After scoring three touchdowns in five drives with Penix, the Falcons were limited to just two field goals in five possessions with Cousins.
Injuries
London's status is week to week due to a knee injury. Morris left open the possibility that London could return Wednesday feeling better than expected, but the coach expects the team's top receiver to miss at least one week. … Penix already missed the Oct. 26 game with a bone bruise in his left knee and now could face a season-ending injury. … Alford (concussion), Hughes (neck), DE Leonard Floyd (hamstring), DL Zach Harrison (knee) LG Matthew Bergeron (ankle) were inactive.
Key number
4: Four of the Falcons' last nine losses last season came in overtime. Atlanta lost its final two games of the 2024 season in overtime to the Commanders and Panthers and also lost the last two weeks to the Colts and Panthers in overtime.
Next steps
After facing potential playoff teams in five of their last six games, the Falcons will travel to New Orleans to face the 2-8 Saints on Sunday.
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