D’ONTA FOREMAN rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown as the Carolina Panthers ran past the Atlanta Falcons 25-15 on Thursday in a rainy NFL division clash.
Laviska Shenault added a 41-yard scoring run for the Panthers, who amassed 232 yards on the ground and handed Atlanta a defeat that saw the Falcons slip behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the top of the division.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will try to strengthen their grip on the division when they play the Seattle Seahawks in Munich on Sunday in the first regular-season NFL game to be played in Germany.
Panthers quarterback PJ Walker completed 10 of 16 passes for 108 yards as Carolina avenged a loss to the Falcons 11 days earlier, which was followed by their meltdown in Cincinnati.
Eddy Pineiro booted four field goals for the Panthers, including a 40 yarder with 9:22 remaining and one of 37 yards with 10 seconds remaining.
Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 19 of 30 passes for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
He was sacked five times, twice by defensive end Marquis Haynes on Atlanta’s final drive.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn intercepted Mariota in the second quarter, setting up a 49-yard Pineiro field goal six plays later.
Carolina’s defence also made 10 tackles for a loss of yardage as the Panthers kept their playoff hopes alive.
Although they are last in the division, they are just 1.5 games behind the Buccaneers.
