The 2-5 Carolina Panthers (somehow) have a chance to take first place in the NFC South this afternoon. And with that unbelievable opportunity ahead of them, their defense wasted little time trying to seize it.
On second play of the very first possession on the afternoon, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota tried to dial up a deep ball to wide receiver (and old friend) Damiere Byrd. But Carolina cornerback Donte Jackson, who went step for step with the speedy pass catcher, was right there to make the one-handed pick.
Look ma, one hand ✋@_DJack01 pic.twitter.com/TNKbbHvNeo
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 30, 2022
A C T I O N 🎬 pic.twitter.com/WxMOdQQ0ec
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 30, 2022
The interception was the second of the season for Jackson, who is now up to 14 in his five-year career. It was also the first pick for Mariota in his last four games, who hadn’t tossed a turnover since Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Unfortunately for Carolina, they did not take immediate advantage of the takeaway. They did, however, notch the opening points of the game on a 37-yard field goal by Eddy Piñeiro at the 6:50 mark of the first quarter.
