The Falcons have gone back-and-forth with the Panthers in the first half, but the club put together a strong two-minute drill to take a 24-17 lead into halftime.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made a couple of big-time throws on the possession, finishing it off with a 20-yard touchdown to Drake London with just three seconds left in the half.
Getting the ball with just 40 seconds left and two timeouts, Penix started the drive with a 19-yard pass down the right side to London. Then Penix hit Ray-Ray McCloud with a 42-yard deep shot on the left side to put the club in scoring position.
Penix tried to hit London in the back of the end zone on first-and-10 from the 20, but the receiver was pushed out of bounds before he could get a second foot down. On the next play, Penix tried the same thing, and this time it worked for the 20-yard score. London was flagged for taunting after standing over the defensive back once he made the catch.
Penix ended the first half 12-of-24 for 204 yards with a touchdown. He also rushed for a 5-yard score. London has six catches for 107 yards with a TD.
Bijan Robinson has 93 yards on 15 carries with a 3-yard touchdown.
On the other side, the Panthers have been competitive as they try to play spoiler. Bryce Young is 11-of-14 for 106 yards with a TD.
As the scores currently stand, the Falcons would clinch the NFC South with a victory, as the Buccaneers are down 16-6 to the Saints early in the third quarter.
The Panthers will receive the second-half kickoff.
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