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

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.

The Falcons never reached inside the Carolina 20.

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.

He began to see some cohesiveness on Sunday.

"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.”

The Panthers were also more aggressive in Week 2.

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 attacked the ball.”

Lloyd was the key that kept it all together.

The offseason free agent pickup from Jacksonville had nine tackles (including two for a loss), three pass breakups, a sack and two interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown.

Canales called it “one of the most dominant linebacker performances” he has seen in his 17 years of coaching.

Lloyd said the goal this week was playing more physical up front and stopping Bijan Robinson. The Panthers did just that. Robinson was limited to 72 yards on 16 carries and 9 yards receiving on three catches.

Carolina forced Rush to fumble on the game's first drive and came up with three interceptions overall.

“We know what we have on this team,” Lloyd said. “The biggest thing was us responding and really just putting it on film, making it come to life.”

Bryce Young is off to the best start of his career. Entering Monday, he is tied for the lead with six touchdown passes. The Panthers are second in the league in points scored (71) behind only the Buffalo Bills and fourth in yards per game entering Monday.

Now in his third season running the same offense, Young completed 23 of 36 passes for 287 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions on Sunday with some pinpoint throws to his receivers.

Young's issues with getting in and out of the huddle fast enough — something that plagued him for portions of his first three seasons — seem to be a thing of the past.

The Panthers needed someone to step up as a punt returner after waiving Jimmy Horn last week following a fumbled punt in Week 1 that led to a Bears touchdown.

Canales was expected to use John Metchie in that role on Sunday, but instead turned to Jalen Coker.

The third-year pro had two punt returns for 49 yards, including a 36-yarder that set the Panthers up in Atlanta territory.

The Panthers brought in veteran Darren Waller late in training camp to give Young a proven pass-catching tight end — and it hasn't taken him long to pay dividends.

After having a touchdown called back in Week 1 for offensive pass interference, the 6-foot-6 Waller responded with two touchdown catches against the Falcons.

Waller, who is mostly being used in the red zone, has caught five passes for 61 yards in two games.

The Panthers offensive line looked solid on Sunday opening holes for Chuba Hubbard and protecting Young. But there is still room for improvement.

Carolina's O-line — and by extension, its tight ends — were flagged for nine penalties totaling 83 yards. That included three holding calls, three false starts, two illegal shifts and one illegal hands to the race.

Those penalties wiped out two big runs by Hubbard.

Three of the penalties came against guard Robert Hunt, the team's highest-paid offensive lineman who received a $100 million contract last offseason, in the first six minutes of the game.

Canales said RB Jonathan Brooks will be getting imaging on his injured groin after leaving the game late in the fourth quarter. He offered no update on Brooks' status Monday.

The Panthers will also be monitoring the status of safety Nick Scott (ribs) and linebacker Claudin Cherelus (shoulder) this week at practice. Both left Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Canales is hopeful that linebacker Pat Jones might return after missing the first two games of the season.

88.8% — Coker has been targeted 18 times and caught 16 of those passes for 204 yards.

The Panthers look to continue their momentum on Sunday when they travel to Cleveland to face the Browns, who are coming off a 23-19 road win over Tampa Bay.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks to pass the ball during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs against Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (95) during an NFL football game in Atlanta, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) makes a catch against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Mike Hughes (21) during an NFL football game in Atlanta, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd (55) celebrates after sacking Atlanta Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush (13) during an NFL football game in Atlanta, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Carolina Panthers linebacker Devin Lloyd (55) celebrates touchdown after an interception during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned Monday that it would “change the geography of the war” if the United States escalates the conflict.

Meanwhile, the British military said an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, injuring two crew members.

The Israeli military remains on alert as much of the country shuts down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday. Full coverage is available here.

A spokesperson for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Mohebbi, said Monday that “the war is not over” and warned that Iran would change its weapons, military tactics and targets if the conflict with the U.S. escalates.

“We will certainly change the geography of the war,” Mohebbi said in a statement carried by Iranian state media. “We will certainly bring new weapons with new capabilities into the battle.” He said the Guard had prepared for a long-term war.

“Our targets will no longer necessarily be the same as before,” he said, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, adding that Iran has targets that have not yet been struck.

The more than six-month war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The conflict has included repeated attacks and efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting, with no agreement reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or revive talks over Iran’s nuclear program.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham says Britain has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia to repeal attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Burnham told reporters as he flew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York that he had agreed the Royal Air Force will provide air-to-air refueling of Saudi planes. The agreement is for a matter of weeks, but Burnham said it will be kept under review.

The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has reignited, with Houthis aiming missile and drone strikes at Saudi Arabia, including one that targeted Riyadh on Saturday before being intercepted.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” as it headed into the Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members sustained minor injuries.

The UKMTO said Monday the vessel is reportedly continuing to its next port of call under its own power. No reports indicated any environmental impact at this time.

Tehran has asserted control over much of the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. In peacetime, about 20 million barrels — roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply — passed through Hormuz each day.

Some tankers are again traversing the strait, but traffic is well below what it once was.

In Yemen, the leader of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels used the anniversary of his group’s overthrow of the Yemeni government to lash out at Saudi Arabia.

In a pre-recorded speech aired Monday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi said his group’s demands include an end to what he called Saudi “aggression” and the blockade the Saudi-led coalition has imposed on the rebels for about a decade.

“Stop the aggression and end the blockade. Our demands represent the legitimate rights of our people,” he said in the speech aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah channel.

The Houthis descended from their stronghold in northern Yemen, taking over the capital of Sanaa in September 2014 and forcing the country’s government into exile in Saudi Arabia.

The following year, Saudi Arabia led a multi-national coalition that entered the war in an attempt to restore the government. The coalition imposed an air and sea blockade on the Houthi-held areas, as part of its war efforts.

The World Health Organization says 680 people were killed or injured across Yemen over the course of a week as fighting between the Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces continues.

WHO said on Monday in a post on X that 164 people were killed and 516 injured between Sept. 13 and Sept. 18. This brings the total number of casualties since Aug. 6 to 3,672, including 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries.

Lahj province in southwestern Yemen is currently an active front line where 58 deaths and 226 injuries were reported within six days, according to the U.N. agency.

Fighting between the Houthis and government forces has so far displaced 129,438 people across seven provinces, the International Organization for Migration says.

The IOM said in an update Monday that people escaping the conflict inside the country were forced from their homes in only a few weeks, with many already fleeing more than once.

Israel's military remained on alert even as the country woke up to the silence and empty streets of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day for the Jewish faith.

Streetlights blinked yellow Monday as the faithful walked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.

“For the next 25 hours, Israel is offline,” the foreign ministry said on X after sundown Sunday. But the military said it bolstered its frontline forces following the killing of an Israeli settler Sunday in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian suspect was detained after a search.

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

A woman walks with her dogs as they cross an empty street during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Palestinian men cross a closed gate after the Israeli army imposed a closure of the entrance to the West Bank village of Haris, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Shiite clerics carrying rifles march during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade at Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)