Way back in Week 4, the Atlanta Falcons lost 24-9 to the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. The Falcons looked tentative in the loss, but no one looked more off his game than rookie wideout Harry Douglas, who dropped two passes, including a crucial drop on third down. But Douglas and the rest of the Falcons learned from the defeat.
“I was focused then but I am more focused now,” he said afterwards.
The Panthers saw a new and improved Douglas, and a new Falcons team altogether today. Atlanta jumped out quickly in the first half, then exchanged punches with the NFC South leaders in the second half before pulling away late en route to a 45-28 victory.
Meanwhile, Douglas was the man of the hour. The rookie out of Louisville scored twice, once on a reverse, and also found pay dirt on an electrifying 61-yard punt return to ice the game for Atlanta late in the fourth quarter.
After falling behind 17-3 at the half, the Panthers showed in the third quarter why they lead the NFC South, scoring 10 consecutive points to get back into the game.
They scored the first touchdown of the half before many of the home fans could even make it back to their seats, getting a 5-yard touchdown scamper from DeAngelo Williams with less than three minutes gone in the third. Star wideout Steve Smith was instrumental on the drive, catching two passes for 67 yards.
The Atlanta offense went three-and-out afterwards, giving Carolina a chance to tie the game. Carolina moved the ball once again, getting a huge third-and-10 conversion on a 21-yard run from Williams off of a draw play. The Panthers moved inside the Atlanta 5, but the offense sputtered and they settled for another short field goal from Kasay with 5:27 remaining in the third.
After that, the Falcons scored every time they touched the ball.
With the Panthers’ secondary blanketing White in the second half, Ryan spread the ball around to his secondary receivers. He connected twice with No. 2 wideout Michael Jenkins on the ensuing drive, including a 17-yard pass that got Atlanta inside the Panther 5 and lead to a Michael Turner touchdown run on the next play. The Atlanta offense continued to get contributions from Douglas, who made the catches on Ryan’s other two completions on the drive.
Still the Panthers wouldn’t go away. Delhomme and Smith connected once again on a huge play. The Panthers quarterback threaded the needle on a 27-yard completion with the team facing third-and-7 from its own 20. They hooked up again on third-and-5 from the Atlanta 27 for a 12-yard gain. Then Delhomme did the rest, scrambling for a 12-yard touchdown run with 10:57 to play. The scoring run was the sixth of his career.
Again, the Atlanta offense stood tall, and it was Douglas who came up big. Facing third-and-10 from deep in their own territory, Douglas corralled a Matt Ryan pass for the first down. But he wasn’t done. The slot receiver shook off a tackler and then took off, racing down the sidelines for a 69-yard gain before Chris Harris took him down at the Carolina 6.
“The coverage was two-man, and coach told me that I’d probably get the ball in that coverage,” said Douglas. “I knew the safety was gonna come down and go for a shot, and I just made a spin move and went from there.”
Three plays later, head coach Mike Smith opted to go for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Michael Turner barreled over the left tackle on the next play for his second touchdown of the game with 7:13 to play.
Soon after the Carolina offense finally met its match. Chauncey Davis notched his second sack of the game to force second-and-14.
“We got a great push, they were concentrating more on [John] Abraham, and it gave the rest of us a chance to get to the quarterback,” said Davis.
The Panthers went on to commit false starts on consecutive plays to kill the drive.
Then Douglas came up with yet another big play.
He fielded a punt at his own 39-yard line, then hit the seam perfectly down the middle of the field and outran punter Jeff Baker to the right sideline to score his second touchdown of the day.
The Panthers responded with a 16-yard touchdown from Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad with just over two minutes to go.
It was too little, too late. Brian Finneran recovered the ensuing onsides kick, and Turner added insult to injury by scoring his fourth touchdown of the day from 16 yards out to finish off the scoring.
Atlanta dominated early. The Falcons jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring off a 7-yard reverse for Douglas. When the quarter was over, Atlanta had possessed the ball for 12 of a possible 15 minutes. The team would take a 17-3 lead after Turner scored the first of his four scores. And it could have been more had Roddy White not fumbled at midfield in the middle of the second quarter, a turnover that led to Carolina’s only points of the half on a 23-yard field goal from John Kasay.
“I just thought we came out slow, offensively and defensively,” said Carolina head coach John Fox.
Turner’s touchdowns were pivotal in the win, as were Matt Ryan’s 259 yards passing. But it was Douglas who stole the show.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “I’m a little exhausted right now, but I’m feeling good.”
Atlanta raised its record to 7-4, and now hits the road for the next two weeks. The Falcons are in San Diego this week to face the 4-6 Chargers. The Panthers dropped to 8-3, and stay on the road next week to take on the Green Bay Packers.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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