Panthers Report Card: Much improved, but not good enough

The Panthers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Falcons in the last minute, spoiling a heroic performance by defensive end Charles Johnson. Some of the same problems cropped up to cost Carolina the game.

By Shawn Krest

Oct 1, 2012 at 10:41 am ET • 1 min read

Haruki Nakamura’s interception in the end zone was a lone bright spot in a nightmare game for the safety. (US Presswire)

The Carolina Panthers lost a 30-28 heartbreaker to the Atlanta Falcons in the final minute.

After last Thursday’s debacle against the Giants, the Panthers looked much improved, but the same old problems cropped up, costing them a win.

“When you get that close, you’ve got to win it,” coach Ron Rivera said. “You’ve got to be smart at that point, and we weren’t.”

The grades should show who was smart and who wasn’t:

Offense: B

Cam Newton found his running legs, supplementing his 215 yards passing with 86 rushing yards. He only completed six passes to wide receivers and fumbled twice, although the Panthers recovered both. Steve Smith only had 52 yards receiving and fumbled on an end around.

Previous game's grade: D

Defense: C-

Charles Johnson set a team record with 3.5 sacks, and the Carolina line brought Matt Ryan down seven times in the game. As good as the front four was, the other two levels of the defense were disappointing. Missed tackles continue to be a problem, as nobody could bring down Michael Turner or Tony Gonzalez on their own. Safety Haruki Nakamura was beaten deep several times, including one pass that set up the game-winning field goal.

Previous game's grade: F

Special teams: B

The return men didn’t put the ball on the ground, which was a significant improvement over the Giants game. Special teams were almost what won the game for the Panthers as Kealoha Pilares and Kenny Onatolu downed a Brad Nortman punt on the 1-yard line in the final minute.

Previous game's grade: D+

Coaching: C

The Panthers had fourth-and-one at midfield, with one of the game’s most mobile quarterbacks under center, and their choice of two solid running backs. But Ron Rivera chose to punt, setting up the Falcons’ game-winning drive. Rivera was again slow to make mid-game personnel adjustments. He benched return man Joe Adams after his two-fumble game against the Giants, but couldn’t do anything to reduce the heat on Nakamura.

Previous game's grade: C

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow @CBSPanthers.