Chris Tabor has his first win as an NFL head coach.
The Panthers interim head coach saw quarterback Bryce Young lead a 17-play drive that ate up the final 7:35 of time in regulation before Eddy Pineiro’s 23-yard field goal sailed through the uprights. The 9-7 victory is the second of the season for the Panthers and their first since they fired Frank Reich earlier this season.
Young had a hard time moving the Panthers for much of a rainy afternoon in Charlotte, but he hooked up with tight end Tommy Tremble, wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, and wide receiver DJ Chark for big gains on the game-winning drive. Running back Chuba Hubbard picked up a last first down with a six-yard run just after the two-minute warning and the Falcons would have been better off if they had let him get into the end zone.
They also would have been better off if quarterback Desmond Ridder had tucked the ball and run on a second down from the Panthers’ 18-yard-line earlier in the fourth quarter. While rolling to his left, Ridder tried to throw a pass to running back Cordarrelle Patterson but it went directly to Panthers safety Xavier Woods. The turnover was the second of the second half for the Falcons — Bijan Robinson lost a fumble as well — and it killed any hopes of improving their record to 7-7.
It also dealt a big blow to their hopes of making the playoffs. Wins by the Buccaneers and Saints moved them ahead of the Falcons in the race for the NFC South title and the Falcons may now need to win out in order to get into the tournament. That process starts against the Colts next weekend.
The Panthers won’t be going to the playoffs, but any positives are reason to celebrate in what’s been a dreadful season. Young was 18-of-24 for 167 yards and Hubbard ran 22 times for 87 yards to help them control the ball for more than 33 minutes over the course of the afternoon. They will host the Packers next weekend, which will give them another chance to play spoiler for an NFC team trying to make a playoff run.