Last Sunday left a clear conclusion for the struggling Atlanta Falcons: they had finally figured something out. A defense that had managed a measly seven sacks over their eight games nearly matched that total, taking Drew Brees down six times while holding his normally potent offense to zero touchdowns in a shocking 26-9 win.
This week, Atlanta figured something else out: The Carolina Panthers are nothing to be afraid of with Kyle Allen at quarterback.
Carolina helped the visiting Falcons keep their good times rolling in Week 11, cowering in an embarrassing 29-3 thrashing—their third loss over their last four games.
Once again, the supposed successor to Cam Newton had a considerable hand in the defeat.
Allen was simply overwhelmed throughout the afternoon, with each of his career-high four interceptions all coming off unforced mental errors. Those started right away, when he seemingly tried to avoid a sack on the offense’s first drive and spiked the ball . . . into the hands of Falcons linebacker De’Vondre Campbell.
Allen threw two more picks before the half, one in the end zone on a route that cornerback Marcus Trufant ran for DJ Moore and the other on an errant overthrow, again, to Moore. Both came with the Panthers inside the Falcons’ 25-yard line.
In a humbling revelation at the break, with his team down 20-0, head coach Ron Rivera seemingly figured out exactly what his opposition had. Rivera, who may have traded in his riverboat for a broken-down bus on Sunday, outwardly expressed his concern over Allen’s play to Fox sideline reporter Jennifer Hale.
“This isn’t a timing issue with the line or receivers, this is a bad decision issue on Kyle,” he said as he threw his quarterback under whatever was left of that broken-down bus. “He’s got to address it.”
Rivera was right.
Allen’s moxie wouldn’t be enough to spark a Super Bowl LI-esque comeback, as he capped off the outing with another bad choice on another bad throw in another bad spot, inside Atlanta’s 25-yard line. He finished the day having completed 31 of his 50 tries for 325 yards and a 47.5 passer rating, lower than that of Falcons running back Kenjon Barner (one-of-one, three yards).
Carolina’s defense didn’t provide much resistance, either.
Wideout Calvin Ridley tore up cornerback Donte Jackson for much of their matchup, reeling in all of his eight targets for 143 yards and a touchdown. While they did clean up their historically porous run defense – allowing just 54 yards on 26 Atlanta rushes – the Panthers forced zero turnovers and sacked Matt Ryan (21-of-31, 311 yards) just three times.
But, again, the moral of this story is what the Falcons, Rivera and the rest of the football world should have figured out by now. Allen is not the answer for Carolina. He’s a passable backup – not someone that’s worth betting your future on.
As for the Panthers’ immediate future, it’s bleak. At 5-5, the playoffs are very likely out of reach in a heavily contentious NFC conference.
Much like Rivera did by opting for a 31-yard field goal down 26-0 in the fourth quarter instead of taking a shot at the end zone, it may soon be time to take a knee on the season and see what third-round pick Will Grier has to offer.
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