Panthers dominate Falcons 30-0 for first win of the season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young ran for a touchdown, Chau Smith-Wade returned an interception 11 yards for a score and rookie Ryan Fitzgerald made three field goals and the Carolina Panthers routed the Atlanta Falcons 30-0 on Sunday for their first win of the season.

Young was 16 of 24 for 121 yards, but played mistake free after turning the ball over five times in the previous two games.

Smith-Wade's third-quarter pick-6 highlighted a dominant performance for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's unit as the Panthers (1-2) intercepted Michael Penix Jr. twice, forced three turnovers and limited the Falcons to 5 of 16 conversions on third and fourth downs for their first shutout since Nov. 22, 2020.

“When you score in every phase, you give yourself a great chance to win,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

The Panthers' shutout came despite playing without injured defensive end Turk Wharton and outside linebacker Pat Jones, two of the team's biggest free agency pickups in the offseason.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for coming out of camp,” Panthers defensive end Derrick Brown said. “I feel like this is how we executed during (training) camp, the physicality we had during camp. So to be able to come out here and put it on display and get the result we did today, we’re happy about it.”

Outside of Bijan Robinson, who combined for 111 yards from scrimmage — 72 on the ground and 39 through the air — the Falcons (1-2) got little production from their offense.

Penix looked tentative and was ineffective from the start, finishing 18 of 36 for 172 yards before getting benched in the fourth quarter for Kirk Cousins with the Falcons trailing 27-0.

After the game, coach Raheem Morris squashed any talk of making a change at quarterback saying Penix will remain the starter.

“Game was out of hand. Move on and take some guys out of harm’s way," Morris said.

It was a promising performance for Carolina, which started the past three seasons 0-2 under Young.

Unlike the previous two games, the Panthers avoided falling into an early deficit.

Playing at home for the first time this season, the Panthers scored on their first possession on a 4-yard scamper from Young around left end. It was Young’s third touchdown on the ground against the Falcons in the past two meetings.

Fitzgerald made a 57-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at the half.

“We put an emphasis on having the urgency to start fast,” Young said. “The defense getting a stop right off the bat and the offense going down and getting a score, I think that was big.”

The Falcons had their chances, but Carolina's defense thwarted every opportunity, even when returner Trevor Etienne fumbled a punt at the Carolina 33. Parker Romo, who replaced Younghoe Koo last week and went 5-for-5 on field goals in his debut, missed from 49 and 55 yards in the first quarter.

“We had two misses, so obviously you have to evaluate those things when we move on and figure out what we’ve got going on," Morris said. "We can’t have those moments.”

With the Falcons struggling to get much going, Penix looked to throw a pass down to Robinson in the third quarter, but Smith-Wade stepped in front of Robinson and hauled in the interception and raced to the end zone. Mike Jackson could have had another pick-6 later in the quarter but was tripped up by Penix after a 54-yard return.

The Panthers put the game away a few plays later on a 1-yard touchdown run by Rico Dowdle.

“It was an electric,” Young said of the team's home opener. “There was great energy, and to start like that at home means a lot.”

Falcons: Reported no injuries.

Panthers: TE Ja'Tavion Sanders injured his ankle in the fourth quarter and making a reception near the right sideline. He did not return.

Falcons: Host Commanders on Sunday

Panthers: At Patriots on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Carolina Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald kicks a field goal against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Carolina Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald celebrates after kicking a field goal with Nic Scourton against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Atlanta Falcons running back Nate Carter is tackled by Carolina Panthers' Bam Martin-Scott during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young runs past Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Carolina Panthers cornerback Chau Smith-Wade celebrates after scoring on an interception with linebacker Trevin Wallace against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

CAIRO (AP) — The White House released the names of some of the leaders who will play a role in overseeing next steps in Gaza after the Palestinian committee set to govern the territory under U.S. supervision met for the first time Friday in Cairo.

The committee's leader, Ali Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian Authority official from Gaza, pledged to get to work quickly to improve conditions. He expects reconstruction and recovery to take about three years and plans to focus first on immediate needs, including shelter.

“The Palestinian people were looking forward to this committee, its establishment and its work to rescue them,” Shaath said after the meeting, in a television interview with Egypt’s state-owned Al-Qahera News.

U.S. President Donald Trump supports the group's efforts to govern Gaza after the two-year war between Israel and Hamas. Israeli troops withdrew from parts of Gaza after the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, while thousands of displaced Palestinians have returned to what is left of their homes.

Now, there will be a number of huge challenges going forward, including the deployment of an international security force to supervise the ceasefire deal and the difficult process of disarming Hamas.

Under Trump's plan, Shaath's technocratic committee will run day-to-day affairs in Gaza under the oversight of a Trump-led “Board of Peace,” whose members have not yet been named.

The White House said an executive board will work to carry out the vision of the Board of Peace.

The executive board’s members include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s deputy national security adviser Robert Gabriel.

Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and U.N. Mideast envoy, is to serve as the executive board’s representative overseeing day-to-day matters.

The White House also announced the members of another board, the “Gaza Executive Board,” which will work with Mladenov, the technocratic committee and the international stabilization force.

Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, Rowan and Mladenov will also sit on that board. Additional members include: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; Hassan Rashad, director of Egypt’s General Intelligence Agency; Emirati minister Reem Al-Hashimy; Israeli businessman Yakir Gabay; and Sigrid Kaag, the Netherlands’ former deputy prime minister and a Mideast expert.

In the West Bank, friends and relatives gathered Friday to mourn the death of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy killed by Israeli forces.

The Palestinian Health Ministry, which confirmed his death, said Mohammad Na’san was the first child killed by the army in the occupied West Bank in 2026.

Residents said Israeli forces fired stun grenades and tear gas in an unprovoked attack. Israel’s military said in a statement that the incursion came after Palestinians had hurled rocks at Israelis and set tires aflame.

“There was gunfire directed at citizens and farmers, the most dangerous of which occurred during the storming of the village as people were leaving the mosques. The streets were crowded with the elderly, children, women, and elders, and they began firing relentlessly,” said Ameen Abu Aliya, head of the Al-Mughayyir village council.

The death was the latest episode of violence to hit al-Mughayyir, a village east of Ramallah that has become a flashpoint in the West Bank. Much of the community’s agricultural land falls under Israeli military control.

Early this year, settlers and Israeli military bulldozers destroyed olive groves in the area, saying they were searching for Palestinian gunmen. A children’s park in al-Mughayyir was also demolished.

In 2025, 240 Palestinians — including 55 children — were killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank, while Palestinians killed 17 Israelis — including one child — in the region, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, two children were killed Friday in Gaza, a 7-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy. They were killed in Beith Lahiya, near the Yellow Line, and their bodies taken to al-Shifa Hospital, the hospital said. No further details were immediately available.

Price reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Jalal Bwaitel and Imed Isseid contributed to this report from Ramallah, Wafaa Shurafa from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Matthew Lee from Washington.

A Palestinian inspects the rubble of the al-Hawli family home, destroyed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the al-Hawli family home, destroyed in an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Children walk over a pile of garbage at a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians on a beach in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)