Offense has moments, but Panthers fall 38-20 to Falcons

CHARLOTTE — A funny thing happened near the end of the first half. The Falcons were driving for a touchdown. And the Panthers were calling timeouts.

That’s what a team does when it has confidence in its offense to respond.

Quarterback Andy Dalton immediately answered with a touchdown in the final minute and a half of the first half, evidence of his increasing comfort in this system. The Panthers couldn’t get enough stops and fell 38-20 to the Falcons, but the point stands.

The Panthers — wracked by injuries on defense — are struggling to stop opponents. But on the other side of the ball, things were going reasonably well early.

Dalton was a sharp moving the ball, keeping the Panthers in the game throughout against a high-functioning Falcons offense.

After those statement timeouts before halftime, Dalton drove the Panthers the length of the field in a hurry, hitting wide receiver Xavier Legette for the touchdown and another of the rookie’s patented Dolla Bill celebrations.