Following a Week 1 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the Carolina Panthers had high hopes entering Week 2. Despite a flurry of injuries, the Panthers were looking to stay atop the NFC South against the Atlanta Falcons.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for Carolina, which lost 31-24 on the road Sunday. The Panthers have now lost five of their last six meetings with the Falcons, including four straight losses in Atlanta.

The Panthers did have their chances, though, as they led 3-0 after a 54-yard field goal from Graham Gano on their opening drive. After Atlanta answered with a field goal of its own, Carolina retook the lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton to Jarius Wright midway through the second quarter.

The Falcons responded with 21 unanswered points before the Panthers finally got back on the board in the fourth quarter. However, it proved to be too little, too late, as they ultimately lost by one score.

With that said, there were still some bright spots for the Panthers, who are now 1-1 on the season as they get ready to host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3. Two of the players are repeats from last week, while one defensive player in particular stood out in what was an overall disappointing performance by one of the NFL’s top defenses.

As the Panthers enter Week 3 sitting at .500, here’s a look at their three best performers from Sunday’s 31-24 loss to the Falcons.

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