The Carolina Panthers’ pursuit of a perfect NFL season is over following a stunning 20-13 loss to the Falcons in Atlanta.
In the penultimate week of the regular season the Panthers were aiming to move to 15-0, but on Sunday night, the Falcons – routed 38-0 by the Panthers on December 12 – had other ideas.
Wide receiver Julio Jones leapt over two defenders to reel in a spectacular 70-yard touchdown catch and rookie defensive end Vic Beasley sealed the triumph by forcing a fumble from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the final minute that the Falcons recovered.
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“They may have taken us lightly, but we didn’t take them lightly,” Beasley said.
MVP candidate Newton had two chances to lead comeback drives late in the fourth quarter but couldn’t find the end zone.
“This is part of the journey,” said Panthers coach Ron Rivera. “We have to refocus. But we’ve accomplished a lot. Let’s not lose sight of that.”
Newton added: “We’re 14-1 now. We put ourselves in a situation that we can use this as fuel to the fire.”
The 2007 New England Patriots remain the only NFL team to post a 16-0 regular season.
After riding roughshod over the league that year, the Patriots were stunned in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to record a perfect championship season – going 14-0 in the regular season before winning three playoff games that included a Super Bowl triumph.
“I think we were just purely outplayed,” added safety Roman Harper. “And we couldn’t come out there and win at the end. That’s all we’ve done is find ways to win all year and we couldn’t do that.”
The play of the game was Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan’s deep throw to Jones, who went airborne to beat linebacker Luke Kuechly then raced into the end zone.
“Just how we drew it up,” quipped Falcons coach Dan Quinn.
The touchdown wasn’t on Carolina cornerback Josh Norman, but Jones did give the Panthers defensive back the most trouble he’s had all season by totalling 80 yards when covered by him, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Ain’t no disrespect. They made one play that put them over in this game, and that was kind of a throw up,” Norman said, referring to Jones’ touchdown.
“We played our game; they played theirs. And they just had one more play than we did. That’s what it came down to. They had energy, and there was a little bit of luck. Those things happen.”
Jones finished with 178 yards against the entire Panthers secondary, bringing his season mark to 1,722 yards on 127 receptions.
Atlanta, nevertheless, saw their slim playoff hopes extinguished hours later when the Minnesota Vikings beat the New York Giants 49-17.
