CHARLOTTE — It was Thursday night, and it was raining, and the teams playing hadn't been much to look at.
And then, it turned into something you couldn't look away from.
And when they talk about this game years from now (and oddly enough, they might), there will be about 150,000 Panthers fans saying they were there to see it.
Throughout the rain and the wind and the records and the mess, the Panthers beat the Falcons 25-15 Thursday night at Bank of America Stadium.
The win improved them to 3-7 on the season, but all three of those wins have come in the division. And as long as that division is the NFC South, they still have a chance, as unlikely as all of that seems.
The Panthers could be within a game of first in that division again by the end of the week, with the 4-5 Buccaneers playing the Seahawks Sunday morning in Germany, and the Falcons now 4-6 as well.
And while the vengeance was something the Panthers would happily accept, they needed the result even more after the heartbreaking overtime loss at Atlanta 11 days prior was followed by a meltdown in Cincinnati.
They needed a win in the worst way, so even if it came in the worst way, they weren't apologizing.
And as interim coach Steve Wilks (now 2-0 at home in his hometown) keeps telling them, they've got a reason to keep playing.
None of this makes much sense, but the way they won was kind of simple to understand.
They ran the ball well again, totaling a season-high 232 rushing yards, their most at home since beating Jacksonville in 2019.
After they ran for 173 against the Bucs and 169 at Atlanta the other week, it's starting to look like a formula.
D'Onta Foreman led the way with 130 — and brought the soggy crowd to its feet with a third-quarter touchdown, when he decided to join them. His leap into the front row was one of the signature moments in a long time around here, exactly what a weary team and fanbase needed.
— Laviska Shenault Jr.'s 41-yard touchdown counts as a rush, but he took a short pass from PJ Walker and did the rest himself.
It was reminiscent of his catch-and-run touchdown in the win over the Saints in Week 3, though that pass actually crossed the line of scrimmage.
Walker wasn't asked to do too much, but he made a few throws at the right time and avoided making big mistakes.
He finished the game 10-of-16 for 108 yards and a 82.3 rating, which is exactly 82.3 points higher than last week's 0.0 rating against the Bengals.
— The Panthers continued to make big plays on defense, and nearly had a few more.
Jaycee Horn picked off Marcus Mariota, and Myles Hartsfield appeared to have a pick-six. But that one was called off because Frankie Luvu had stopped Mariota before the ridiculous throw, for his second sack of the night.
Brian Burns followed with a sack of his own on fourth down in the fourth quarter, and Marquis Haynes Sr. , who didn't have a sack this season, had two sacks on the final Falcons' drive to seal the game.
— Wide receiver DJ Moore had to leave the game in the second half, but was checked for a head injury and cleared to return. Tight end Giovanni Ricci had to be checked out a couple of times, and cornerback Donte Jackson was out for the last few minutes of the game with an Achilles injury.
View the best in-game photos from Carolina's Week 10 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football.
LB - 50 - Chandler Wooten
LB - 55 - Cory Littleton
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
CB - 26 - Donte Jackson
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
CB - 8 - Jaycee Horn
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
CB - 8 - Jaycee Horn
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
CB - 8 - Jaycee Horn
DE - 97 - Yetur Gross-Matos
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
WR - 2 - D.J. Moore
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
T - 70 - Brady Christensen
WR - 88 - Terrace Marshall Jr.
Carolina Panthers quarterback PJ Walker passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Atlanta Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson is tackled by Carolina Panthers linebacker Cory Littleton during the first half of an NFL football game on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Carolina Panthers place kicker Eddy Pineiro celebrates after field goal against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Atlanta Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
S - 25 - Xavier Woods
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
S - 25 - Xavier Woods
CB - 24 - C.J. Henderson
S - 25 - Xavier Woods
CB - 24 - C.J. Henderson
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
RB - 20 - Raheem Blackshear
WR - 12 - Shi Smith
WR - 2 - D.J. Moore
TE - 45 - Giovanni Ricci
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
S - 25 - Xavier Woods
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
RB - 20 - Raheem Blackshear
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
C/G - 56 - Bradley Bozeman
K - 4 - Eddy Pineiro
T - 70 - Brady Christensen
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
WR - 12 - Shi Smith
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
DT - 95 - Derrick Brown
TE - 45 - Giovanni Ricci
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
RB - 20 - Raheem Blackshear
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
RB - 20 - Raheem Blackshear
TE - 82 - Tommy Tremble
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
WR - 88 - Terrace Marshall Jr.
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
CB - 8 - Jaycee Horn
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
DT - 99 - Matt Ioannidis
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
DT - 99 - Matt Ioannidis
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
LB - 55 - Cory Littleton
TE - 45 - Giovanni Ricci
LB - 57 - Damien Wilson
LB - 7 - Shaq Thompson
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
DT - 95 - Derrick Brown
DT - 95 - Derrick Brown
S - 25 - Xavier Woods
WR - 2 - D.J. Moore
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
WR - 2 - D.J. Moore
LB - 55 - Cory Littelton
WR - 15 - Laviska Shenault Jr.
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
T - 79 - Ikem Ekwonu
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
DE - 53 - Brian Burns
DT - 99 - Matt Ioannidis
LB - 55 - Cory Littleton
S - 21 - Jeremy Chinn
LB - 49 - Frankie Luvu
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
DE - 97 - Yetur Gross-Matos
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
WR - 88 - Terrace Marshall Jr.
CB - 26 - Donte Jackson
DT - 95 - Derrick Brown
DE - 90 - Amare Barno
DT - 99 - Matt Ioannidis
RB - 20 - Raheem Blackshear
RB - 30 - Chuba Hubbard
DT - 99 - Matt Ioannidis
S - 42 - Sam Franklin
WR - 2 - D.J. Moore
QB - 11 - PJ Walker
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
QB - 11 - P.J. Walker
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
TE - 82 - Tommy Tremble
LB - 57 - Damien Wilson
LB - 55 - Cory Littleton
T - 79 - Ikem Ekwonu
WR - 2 - D.J. Moore
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
RB - 33 - D'Onta Foreman
