9 Winners and 3 Losers from Carolina Panthers' Overpowering Win Over Falcons

The Carolina Panthers were not universally picked to beat the Atlanta Falcons. They responded by throttling their NFC South rivals on the road. It was not remotely close, and the Panthers came away with an inspiring victory. Here are the individual winners and losers.

Winner: Zakee Wheatley

If this fumble stands, Zakee Wheatley created his first turnover on his first-ever NFL defensive snap. #Panthers
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) September 20, 2026

Inactive last week, Zakee Wheatley forced a turnover on the first play from scrimmage. That is also his first-ever NFL play, so he immediately made a case to be a key contributor moving forward. He likely won't be a healthy scratch again. Scorekeepers went back and forth on who to credit it to, ultimately landing on Wheatley, who did the bulk of forcing it out with Devin Lloyd.

Loser: Robert Hunt

Robert Hunt didn't have his best day on Sunday. He was responsible for multiple silly penalties. The Panthers were able to avoid the setbacks and move forward despite them, but it was a curiously penalized game for the veteran.

Winners: Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke

Devin Lloyd blitzes and gets to Rush for the sack on 3rd down. Lloyd has been everywhere today, goodness gracious.
— Kassidy Hill (@KassidyGHill) September 20, 2026

As mentioned, Devin Lloyd was involved in helping create the first turnover, and then he created the second turnover. He jumped the route on Bijan Robinson and tipped it up for Bobby Okereke to come down with. It was a big play, and Lloyd had a strong day to bounce back from Week 1. Both linebackers had really strong showings, but Lloyd proved why he was an All-Pro last year. Lloyd was the best player on the field, bar none.

Loser: Rasheed Walker

Rasheed Walker struggled in pass protection and committed an unfortunate penalty. Like Robert Hunt, it just wasn't his day. The offensive line as a whole struggled against the Falcons' pass rush (strange, considering they didn't have Jalon Walker or James Pearce Jr.), but Hunt and Walker stood out in a negative way.

Winner: Ejiro Evero

It was the Falcons, who were starting Cooper Rush, so take this with a grain of salt. But Ejiro Evero could not afford for his defense to come out and look bad again this week. That wasn't the case, and his gameplan to counter the Falcons' offense was sound.

Winner: Brad Idzik

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzik watches the quarterbacks run drills | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The coordinators swapped this week. Now, the Falcons' defense is pretty stout and much better than the Bears' defense. However, Idzik showed his inexperience in this one. However, he got better as the game went on. He kept the aggression up, which was huge today. So, even when he struggled to get a feel for this game, it was still a good outing.

Loser: Jonathon Brooks

Jonathon Brooks is walking slowly to the locker room with a towel over his head.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 20, 2026

Jonathon Brooks took a major backseat to Chuba Hubbard once again. The running game as a whole was underwhelming, but Brooks just didn't get much action. He wasn't used in the passing game much, either. It was Hubbard's show again, and Brooks didn't maximize his limited opportunities this time. To top it all off, he got hurt, too.

Winner: Jalen Coker

The Panthers needed a punt returner, so Jalen Coker stepped up. He was excellent at it. He's probably too valuable to be back there all the time, but he is also really good at returning kicks. Oh, and he had another good game as a receiver.

Winner: Xavier Legette

Xavier Legette with his biggest play of the year, as he goes to the ground to catch a 55-yard strike from Bryce Young.
— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) September 20, 2026

This was really Xavier Legette's last chance. If he struggled again, it would be hard to justify trotting him out there again. He delivered when the ball was thrown his way, including a massive bomb before the half that was reminiscent of his infamous Eagles drop. This time, he caught it well.

Winner: Bryce Young

Bryce Young clearly didn't have his A-game. He missed throws and struggled to navigate under heavy pressure (after excelling there last week). That said, the big thing with him has been to raise the floor for when he doesn't have it.

Winner: Darren Waller

Darren Waller 2 Touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers in the year 2026

Still got it
— Football (@BostonConnr) September 20, 2026

Darren Waller had a touchdown called back last week for a ticky-tack penalty. He made sure this time, scoring twice on two really nice plays. One was a pitch-perfect throw on an out route and the other was a well-run scissor concept route for Waller, who was open in the end zone. He's still got it.

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