News » The Panthers at 4-2 sit right about where I thought they woul

d be. Swap the Washington and Philadelphia outcomes and I would be six for six. Many preseason prognosticators were not so optimistic though. Before I go any further I realize there is a lot of football left and I am not trying to jinx the Panthers either Youth Michael Palardy Jersey , obviously. They still have some very tough games left, so I’m certainly not expecting a 10-0 finish either. Lord no.I find it fun to pick the upcoming games now that we know a little more about our opponents, so I thought I would let you join in. My preseason prediction was 11 wins and I’m sticking to that. Yet not all of the predictors were bearish, this one is close to mine. Here’s how I see it playing out. Feel free to share your predictions in the thread.Panthers vs Ravens — Ravens win a close one; Panthers 4-3Panthers vs Buccaneers — Panthers win a shoot out; Panthers 5-3Panthers at Steelers— Panthers get behind early, no comeback this time; Panthers 5-4Panthers at Lions — Panthers rebound just as they did in Philly; Panthers 6-4Panthers vs Seahawks— Panthers start a late season win streak; Panthers 7-4Panthers at Bucs — Winston has a melt down; Panthers 8-4Panthers at Browns— Panthers continue to play well versus failing teams; Panthers 9-4Panthers vs Saints — Panthers finally end the losing streak to the Saints; Panthers 10-4Panthers vs Falcons— Panthers get revenge for week 2 loss; Panthers 11-4Panthers at Saints — Panthers come close but can’t pull the upset; 11-5They win a wildcard slot as the Saints win the division again. I really hate typing that but the Saints look pretty damn good. Tomorrow’s match-up against the Ravens will be a good comparison to how we match up with the Saints. The Saints only managed 21 points against the Ravens defense. It took kicker Justin Tucker’s first ever missed point after in his career for the Ravens to lose by one. I’m not predicting a win versus the Ravens but I would love to be wrong as well. I think the Panthers have gained some confidence over these past couple of games and know they can play with anybody if they simply execute. ATLANTA (AP) — The Carolina Panthers somehow found a way to have a last-gasp chance to beat the Atlanta Falcons after twice trailing by 14 points in the second half.Welcome back to the NFC South. It shaping up to be another entertaining race.Playing without injured running back Devonta Freeman, the Falcons still had big production on the ground and survived Cam Newton’s desperation pass to the end zone as time expired to beat the Panthers 31-24 on Sunday.It was a dramatic ending to a rivalry game.“At the end Stitched Michael Palardy Jersey , I don’t think there was anybody who wasn’t up and screaming and feeling wild,” said Falcons coach Dan Quinn. “You couldn’t hear anything.”It was an important win for the Falcons (1-1) following last week’s loss at Philadelphia in their opener. With another loss, they would have trailed the Panthers (1-1) and Tampa Bay by two games only two weeks into the season. Instead, they’re one of three teams tied at 1-1, with only the Buccaneers still unbeaten in the division that sent three teams to the playoffs last season.Matt Ryan passed for 272 yards with two touchdowns and had his first career game with two rushing touchdowns for Atlanta. Freeman was held out with a sore right knee, and Tevin Coleman ran for 107 yards in his starting role. Rookie Ito Smith added 46 yards rushing as the Falcons ran for 170 yards.Atlanta led 24-10 following Ryan’s 1-yard scoring run in the third quarter and 31-17 following his improbable 8-yard scoring run midway through the final period.Newton’s 51-yard touchdown pass to rookie D.J. Moore cut the lead to seven points. Newton looked for Moore again on the game’s final play. Moore couldn’t adjust after linebacker De’Vondre Campbell missed a chance for an interception.“I had a good shot at it but it just came down too fast through his arms as I reacted Youth Julius Peppers Jersey ,” Moore said.Here are some takeaways from the Falcons’ win in their home opener:EJECTIONFalcons safety Damontae Kazee was ejected after leading with his helmet on a hit to Newton early in the second quarter. Newton slid after a run before the hit by Kazee, the fill-in starter for Keanu Neal, who will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.Newton was quickly checked on the sideline before returning to the field without missing a play.“It was fine,” Newton said. “It looked worse than it was. I’m just lucky that nothing pretty much happened. This game isn’t fit for cheap shots like that but at the end of the day you can’t blame him. He’s playing as hard as he can, I’m playing as hard as I can.”MEMORABLE TDsFalcons rookie Calvin Ridley got a chance to celebrate his first NFL catch . Then his first touchdown.The top pick out of Alabama hauled in an 11-yard scoring pass from Ryan with 4:03 left in the first half, erasing Carolina’s early 10-3 lead. Ridley had four catches for 64 yards after being held without a reception in Week 1.Similarly Stitched Julius Peppers Jersey , Moore’s 51-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was the first career catch for the Panthers’ rookie.BRACE MALFUNCTION II: Matt Schaub made his first appearance since the 2016 season, but it was for only one ugly play.Schaub, Ryan’s backup, entered the game after Ryan ran to the sideline following a 5-yard run in the first quarter. Ryan slid on the play, causing the brace on his left knee to move out of position. While Ryan was having the brace adjusted, Schaub was on the field long enough only for a fumble. He fell on the loose ball for a loss of 8 yards Youth Da’Norris Searcy Jersey , and Ryan returned to the game.Ryan’s knee brace also slipped out of position, again after he slid at the end of a run, in the Falcons’ loss at Philadelphia last week. The Falcons called a timeout as personnel quickly cut off the brace.ROOKIE FILL-IN: Panthers rookie tight end Ian Thomas had two catches for 10 yards as the fill-in for Greg Olsen, who is out with a broken bone in his foot.INJURY REPORT: Falcons left guard Andy Levitre (elbow) and backup defensive end Derrick Shelby (groin) left the game. The Panthers lost starting strong safety Da’Norris Searcy (concussion) and cornerback Donte Jackson (hamstring).