NFL Week 6 scores and live updates: Bears beat Jaguars in London, channel, highlights, analysis, stats
By Josh Kendall, Joe Person and RJ Kraft
Kirk Cousins, Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier kept the Atlanta Falcons flying high in a 38-20 win over the Carolina Panthers in a NFC South divisional matchup.
Atlanta’s third consecutive victory pushes the Falcons to 4-2 as they maintain their division lead over the Buccaneers (by way of their Week 5 win over Tampa Bay).
Cousins threw for 225 yards with Drake London serving as his favorite target on the day (6 receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown). Atlanta’s rushing attack of Robinson (95 yards and two touchdowns) and Allgeier (105 yards and one touchdown) combined for 200 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Bijan races to the pylon and the @AtlantaFalcons answer!
📺: #ATLvsCAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/M7l6KifOkY— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
Early in the fourth quarter and down eight points, the Panthers were driving at the Atlanta 32-yard line when Andy Dalton threw an interception at the 15-yard line to cornerback A.J. Terrell. That defensive play helped the Falcons seal the deal. On the day, Dalton threw for 221 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while Chuba Hubbard rushed for 92 yards and Diontae Johnson led the receivers with 78 yards and a touchdown.
AJ Terrell with his first pick of the season 🙅♂️
📺: #ATLvsCAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/GzFUOPhl7A— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
Carolina’s third consecutive loss drops the Panthers to 1-5 and they are last in the NFC South. Up next is a Week 7 date on the road with the Washington Commanders.
A first for Bijan
Sunday was the first time in Robinson’s career that he had multiple rushing touchdowns in a game, and he hit the mark by halftime. Robinson, the No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft, had scoring runs of 5 and 7 yards before halftime and now has seven as a pro. Atlanta had a season-high 198 rushing as it won its third straight NFC South game. — Josh Kendall, Falcons beat writer
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Passing to Pitts
Tight end Kyle Pitts has now posted back-to-back games with more than 55 receiving yards for the first time since his rookie season in 2021. Pitts, who had 88 yards receiving against Tampa Bay in Week 5, finished with three catches for 70 yards against the Panthers. The No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft, who didn’t have a catch in Week 4, caught a 52-yard pass to go along with a 50-yarder he had earlier this season in Week 3.
There were still some hiccups on the day, though. Pitts and Cousins apparently miscommunicated on a critical third down throw in the end zone. Cousins threw a fade route to the back of the end zone, but Pitts stopped his route at the goal line. — Kendall
Change in personnel
The Falcons have basically abandoned their preseason plans to use 12 personnel. Atlanta signed free agent tight end Charlie Woerner in the offseason in part because they had the idea to put him on the field with fellow tight end Pitts and try to mimic the 12-personnel run game used by San Francisco when Woerner played for the 49ers.
They ended up trying it for one game. The Falcons ran 22 snaps out of 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to TruMedia. In the five games since, they have run four snaps out of that personnel grouping.
On Sunday, Woerner and Pitts regularly swapped out for each other in the lineup with Woerner’s insertion in the lineup a pretty clear sign Atlanta planned to run the ball, and the Falcons finished with 198 on the ground. — Kendall
GO DEEPER
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Dalton’s first INT was a backbreaker
The Panthers’ defense in its current state – missing several of its starters and best players – needs the offense to help it out with complementary football. That means controlling the clock and letting Hubbard run. Trailing 28-20 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Panthers were rolling behind four consecutive nice runs by Hubbard and 12-yard completion from Dalton to Johnson. But two plays later, Dalton forced a bad throw to tight end Ian Thomas, which Terrell intercepted.
It appeared to take the life out of the Panthers’ defense, which gave up an 18-yard run to Allgeier on the next play to start an 84-yard touchdown drive for the Falcons that pretty much sealed the game. Dalton threw a second interception, which would have been a pick-6 had Clark Phillips not given himself just before the goal line. — Joe Person, Panthers beat writer
Carolina’s defense was offensive
That said, this is not to excuse the play of the Panthers’ defense, which was atrocious. After forcing a punt on the Falcons’ first series, Carolina allowed Atlanta to score on seven of its last eight possessions (not counting Cousins’ kneel-downs at the end of both halves). The Panthers never got close to sacking Cousins (the Falcons also didn’t have a sack), and they were just as bad at stopping the run. Allgeier and Robinson combined for 198 yards and 6.1 yards a carry. With so many injuries, it’s not clear how the Panthers are going to get better, either. — Person
Required reading
(Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
