CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins seems to have the Atlanta Falcons playing a whole new ballgame.
The Falcons (3-2) will look to make it three wins in three weeks against NFC South Division foes when they visit the struggling, injury-riddled Carolina Panthers (1-4) on Sunday.
Atlanta is coming off tight home wins against the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers behind Cousins, a 13th-year pro who has settled in nicely after a slow start to his first season with the Falcons, who signed him to a four-year, $180 million free-agent contract in March.
The four-time Pro Bowl selection threw for four touchdown passes and a franchise-record 509 yards in a 36-30 overtime win against the Bucs on Oct. 3 that moved the Falcons into a tie for first place in the division. Now he’s about to face a Carolina defense that has surrendered an NFL-worst average of 33 points per game and 20 total touchdowns.
Atlanta hasn’t had a winning final record or reached the playoffs since the 2017 season, but the team’s first campaign under head coach Raheem Morris has so far produced a trio of wins and a pair of one-possession losses. Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said the 2-0 start in the division has his team feeling confident.
“I’m not shy about saying that,” said Jarrett, an Atlanta native whose entire decade in the NFL has been spent with the Falcons. “I’m excited to be in the position that we are going forward, being in the driver’s seat. But I’m also even more excited because … we continue to get better every week. And that’s the sweet part about it.”
The Panthers are a mess after last week’s 36-10 loss to the Chicago Bears, the third time Carolina has been blown out this season.
Coming off an NFL-worst 2-15 record last season, Carolina wasn’t a particularly deep team to begin with and now has lost defensive end Derrick Brown, linebacker Shaq Thompson and center Austin Corbett to season-ending injuries. Also, receiver Adam Thielen is on injured reserve and tight end Tommy Tremble is in the concussion protocol.
Even offensive lineman Taylor Moton, a mainstay at right tackle who has played in 120 straight games since being drafted by the Panthers, will miss his first game Sunday with a triceps injury.
Brady Christensen will make his first start at center in place of Corbett, while the Panthers will turn to Yosh Nijman at right tackle. Christensen has played both guard and tackle in the past.
First-year coach Dave Canales is trying to keep his players’ hopes up and avoid a doom-and-gloom mentality for a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2017 season.
Running back Chuba Hubbard said Canales’ upbeat personality has helped.
“Honestly, I have probably never met somebody so positive in my life,” Hubbard said. “He has a great outlook on the big picture. Even when things aren’t going your way, he reminds us to trust the process and we will get there. And we believe in that.”
Hubbard has been one of the few bright spots for the Panthers, averaging 105 rushing yards per game and 6-plus yards per carry over the past three weeks with three total touchdowns. He has also developed into a reliable receiver.
“He’s not afraid of the dirty 2- and 3-yard run, where you just kind of have to cram it up in there,” Canales said. “And then later on in the game, they start popping into 8s and 12s, and here comes a 25. Just the discipline and his willingness to really commit to the system.”
The problem for the Panthers has been their penchant for falling behind, which has put added emphasis on throwing the ball.
No team has been worse at red-zone defense than the Panthers, who have allowed their opponents to find the end zone a remarkable 88% of the time they’ve penetrated the 20-yard line. Canales said that stems from his team’s inability to stop the run.
“We have to get some stops and give our offense a chance to stay in the game,” cornerback Jaycee Horn said.
Atlanta’s offense really got going against Tampa Bay after some bumps over the first month.
Falcons receiver Darnell Mooney’s strong start, including a two-touchdown performance against the Bucs, has given Cousins another top target. Morris, the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator the past three years, said Mooney also has impressed during game-week preparations.
“You can just see how locked in he is in the game plans,” Morris said. “And he’s got that too cool for school attitude in meetings but, man, he gets everything. And he comes out of those meetings, and he absolutely knows it all. He’s extremely locked in on the detail of what we’re trying to do from a holistic standpoint.
“I was fortunate enough to be around Cooper Kupp and his relationship he had with Matthew Stafford,” Morris said of the Rams receiver and quarterback who helped the team win a Super Bowl title to cap the 2021 season. “And I won’t compare us to those guys after five games, but I definitely see some of the similarities.”
The Panthers switched quarterbacks after the first two games this season, benching Bryce Young — the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL draft — in favor of veteran Andy Dalton.
Falcons safety Jessie Bates III is looking forward to a reunion with Dalton, his former Cincinnati Bengals teammate. Bates said he’s also hoping for an opportunity to pick off a pass from his buddy.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Andy,” Bates said. “That was my quarterback when I got drafted in Cincinnati in 2018. So I’ve just got a lot of respect for how he goes about his work. He played a big part in how I operate to this day.”
When asked how Dalton impacted his career, Bates said he learned as a rookie from watching the quarterback and “his process every day.”
“As a young guy, I feel like everybody should, you know, see how the leaders of your team operate,” Bates said.
Bates said Dalton “has always been known for getting the ball out quick and, you know, being super decisive with his reads.
“Obviously they’ve struggled the last couple of weeks, but Andy’s, you know, a really great dude and a really great player as well. Excited to go against them. Hopefully get some picks off him.”