ATLANTA — The Carolina Panthers lost to the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday, December 8. FINAL SCORE: 40-20, Falcons.
It's the fifth straight loss for the Panthers.
It comes less than a week after Head Coach Ron Rivera was fired by the team. Secondary coach Perry Fewell was named interim head coach.
The Panthers are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Last week, the Panthers seemed to seal their fate with a 29-21 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Sunday's game against the Flacons also ruined the debut of interim coach Perry Fewell, who took over at the beginning of the week after Rivera was fired.
The Panthers have fallen on hard times lately following injuries to quarterback Cam Newton over the past two seasons. Kyle Allen has filled in for Newton this season at quarterback, and was 5-5 as a starter going into the game against Atlanta.
After the game, Fewell said the team is planning to stick with Allen as quarterback moving forward instead of playing rookie Will Grier.
Newton, meanwhile, is set to have surgery on his injured left foot this week. He hasn't played since Week 2 when he aggravated a Lisfranc injury he suffered in the preseason.
The Panthers play the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday in Charlotte. With three games remaining in regular season, many fans are looking to how the Panthers can go up from here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
