“That was big,” admitted Young following the win. “We want to make sure we started off fast. We put an emphasis on just having urgency, and for us to, first off, defense set the tone, great stop to start off us on, offense going down, getting a score, I think we were able to continue to go with that. So, yeah, I think that was big.”
The offense didn’t score another touchdown until the fourth quarter, but simply having that first score allowed them to play more aggressively, and the defense took advantage with a pick-six and another interception that set up that touchdown.
Even without a bevy of offensive scoring, Young helped tip the scales towards the Panthers in the categories that most mattered: he didn’t turn the ball over, ensuring the Panthers won the turnover margin, (the only Carolina turnover was a muffed punt, and they forced three Falcons turnovers). And they controlled the ball, winning the time of possession 31:58-28:02, including a four-plus-minute drive towards the end of the third quarter that was capped with a field goal.