Panthers defense quickly turns page on Week 1 disappointment, finds swagger in 34-3 rout of Falcons – iNFOnews.ca

Panthers defense quickly turns page on Week 1 disappointment, finds swagger in 34-3 rout of Falcons  iNFOnews.ca

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers defense was embarrassed by the Chicago Bears in Week 1 in allowing 552 yards and a franchise-record 59 points. Linebacker Devin Lloyd made sure that wasn’t going to happen again Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. Carolina completely shut down Atlanta and third-string quarterback Cooper Rush on the road, forced five turnovers and limited the Falcons to 286 yards in a 34-3 victory that left the defending NFC South champion Panthers (1-1) tied for first place in the division. Panthers coach Dave Canales gave kudos to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for getting players “locked back in” following a rough outing as the team works through a transition period.

The Panthers have six new starters from last season on defense because of personnel changes and injuries. Canales said it has taken some time to get everyone on the same page. “It was like everyone was connected and kind of working on a string,” Canales said. “I saw a lot of that chemistry that I talked about. How are we going to be our best? When we start playing together.” Canales said his defense “challenged” and ”attacked” the Falcons skill players on offense. “The secondary showed up in the run game with more physicality,” Canales said. “Their skill players, we got up in their faces and