The Falcons' top-ranked offense was just a product of playing the Bucs, Raiders and Saints, right?
Well, either Atlanta's for real or the Panthers' aren't much better than those defensive bottom-feeders.
The tone was set on the Falcons' opening drive when receiver Julio Jones went 3-of-3 for 42 yards on the first three plays. Against the Saints on Monday night, Jones had just one reception, his lowest output in four years.
But whether it was James Bradberry, Bené Benwikere, Daryl Worley or a mix-and-match group of safeties, Jones destroyed the entire Panthers secondary. He grabbed 12 receptions for a whopping 300 yards, the highest total of his career and the most ever allowed by Carolina.
In his last two games against the Panthers, Jones has caught 21 of his 26 targets for 572 yards and two touchdowns. So ... Josh Norman or not, Jones is pretty good.
Sure, we'll get to the offense's role in the loss, but the defense gave the Panthers no shot to win.
The Falcons piled up 572 yards, the second-most the Panthers have ever allowed (617, at Saints, 1/1/12). It could've been even worse if Atlanta hadn't taken its foot off the gas at the start of the fourth quarter.
Perhaps even more embarrassing than Jones's day for the Panthers was that they had the Falcons backed up to their 2-, 1- and 8-yard lines, and each time Atlanta finished the drive in the end zone.
Thanks largely to Jones, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan set a record for most passing yards against the Panthers with 503.
Since holding the Vikings to 8 net passing yards at the half last week, the Panthers have allowed quarterbacks to go 42-of-54 for 648 yards and five TDs.
After scoring 10 points on their first two drives against the Vikings, the Panthers went 17 drives before scoring another offensive touchdown. That came early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Cam Newton found receiver Kelvin Benjamin for a 6-yard score. Moments later, Newton was getting checked for a concussion after he slowed up at the goal line while scoring a 2-point conversion.
Behind backup Derek Anderson, the Panthers put together two more touchdown drives, but that was after the Falcons had gone into their prevent defense.
The thing is, Atlanta's defense is still very much a work in progress, so the fact that the Panthers' offense was responsible for just 141 yards and three points in three quarters is alarming.
So is the status of Jonathan Stewart, who hasn't appeared all that close to returning from a hamstring strain. Because they fell into such a big hole, the Panthers had to get away from their run game early, but Cameron Artis-Payne doesn't scare defenses.
Now the Panthers are 1-3 heading into Week Five, a Monday Night Football matchup with the Bucs at Bank of America Stadium.