Atlanta Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu makes a 44-yard touchdown catch as Carolina Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn looks on during the third quarter of Atlanta’s 24-10 win Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It’s been a disappointing season for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, but the veteran quarterback is excited about what’s ahead for his team next season – particularly on offense.
“It’s great to have a bunch of different guys that are capable of making plays at any time during a game,” Ryan said.
Ryan passed for 239 yards and threw touchdowns to three wide receivers, and the Falcons ran for 194 yards as they beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 Sunday. It was the seventh straight loss overall for the Panthers (6-9), who were swept in the season series with their NFC South border rivals and eliminated from playoff contention.
The Falcons (6-9) – who have battled injuries at a number of key positions and were already out of the postseason picture – have won two straight games, giving them some hope for the future.
“We are at our best when everybody is involved and we can run the football and play-action pass off of it,” Ryan said. “We did a nice job of that today, and everybody created explosive plays. It makes it difficult to defend when you have to account for a lot of different people.”
Ryan found Calvin Ridley for a go-ahead, 75-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the second half when Panthers safety Eric Reid bit on a play-action fake. Ryan also connected with a wide-open Mohamed Sanu on a crossing route for a 44-yard score and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones in the back of the end zone.
Ridley had three catches for 90 yards and tied the franchise’s rookie record for touchdown catches in a season with eight. Sanu had five receptions for 81 yards, and Brian Hill rushed for 115 yards on eight carries.
Jones had four catches for just 28 yards, but his touchdown helped him continue a habit of pestering the Panthers. He entered the game having averaged more than 100 yards in 12 career games against Carolina, which lost 31-24 to the Falcons in mid-September in Atlanta.
On Sunday, the Falcons intercepted first-time starter Taylor Heinicke three times and forced four turnovers after allowing a touchdown on the game’s opening possession. Heinicke, an Atlanta native making his first NFL start for the injured Cam Newton, left the game briefly in the second quarter with a left elbow injury before returning and being repeatedly battered by the Falcons.
He finished 33-of-53 for 274 yards with one touchdown.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Heinicke gutted it out, but he added that the team needs to find players who can make plays in the red zone.
“I wasn’t coming out of that game,” an emotional Heinicke said. “Those guys know I am going to fight for them.”
The Panthers’ frustration was evident when linebacker Thomas Davis and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn got into a heated exchange on the sideline.
“I really believed seven weeks ago we were a good football team,” Munnerlyn said. “Right now, we’ve just got a bad record. We just ran into some injuries, ran into some bad luck and fell short.”
Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey had 21 carries for 101 yards and 12 catches for 77 yards to set an NFL record for receptions in a season (106) by a running back.
He became the third running back in league history to post 100 receptions and 1,000 rushing yards in a season, joining LaDainian Tomlinson and Matt Forte. McCaffrey has 1,080 rushing yards and 845 receiving yards, giving him an outside chance to become only the third player to post 1,000 yards in both categories in a single season.
Falcons running back Tevin Coleman left the game with a groin injury in the second half and did not return with Atlanta up by two scores.
Both Atlanta and Carolina will finish division play and the season on the road next Sunday, the Falcons against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Panthers against the New Orleans Saints.