The Panthers defense played like garbage today. There’s no nice way to say it. That’s the bottom line of how today’s 31-24 loss to the Falcons went. If the Panthers’ defense played a semi-competent game http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-mario-addison-jersey , the Panthers would be 2-0 right now. It’s unfortunate that it ended up this way, because the offense played well enough to win. It just wasn’t meant to be, it seems.Let’s dive into the winners and losers from today’s action.WinnersCam Newton: Newton had a great game today if you account for the fact that his receivers let him down multiple times by dropping perfectly thrown passes. He finished the day 32-of-45 passing for 335 yards with three touchdowns and one interception (that totally wasn’t his fault, but we’ll get to that later). Considering 14 of those receptions and 102 of those yards came from Christian McCaffrey, you can see that Newton would have probably left Atlanta with a win if his receivers would have been able to produce for him.Christian McCaffrey: As I mentioned previously Color Rush Torrey Smith Jersey , McCaffrey hauled in 14 receptions for 102 yards today and was a key factor in the Panthers moving the ball on offense. He lined up all over the field and made quality plays to keep the chains moving throughout the afternoon. It’s unfortunate that hardly anyone else stepped up, but if the Panthers can keep using McCaffrey like they did against the Falcons the offense has the potential to be dangerous this season.Jarius Wright: Wright grabbed five catches for 62 yards and a touchdown this afternoon, and he also picked up several key first downs for the Panthers to keep the chains moving. He is a key asset on third down and is one of the best free agent pickups the Panthers have made in a long time. The Panthers finally have their “go-to guy” on third down, and that will benefit the offense as the season progresses.D.J. Moore: Moore took his first career reception and turned it into an electrifying 51-yard touchdown reception that pulled the Panthers to within one score late in the fourth quarter. He almost hauled in the game-tying touchdown as time expired as well, but it just wasn’t meant to be. At any rate Color Rush Greg Van Roten Jersey , we saw good things from Moore today and should continue to see them as he gets familiar with the speed of the NFL.Graham Gano: He buried a 54-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Yeah, that’s good enough to make the winner’s column today. Let that marinate for a few minutes. The Panthers have announced that running back Kenjon Barner has been placed on injured reserve and guard Dorian Johnson has been activated from the practice squad to replace him on the 53-man roster.This move makes sense with Trai Turner being ruled out for Sunday’s season finale in New Orleans and Marshall Newhouse being listed as questionable. The Panthers are incredibly thin on the offensive line, and if Barner was unlikely to suit up—he was listed as questionable with a knee injury—it makes sense to bring in a healthy body at a position of dire need.Johnson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Cardinals but didn’t make their final 53-man roster. After stints on the Cardinals and Texans practice squads, he ended up in Carolina in January 2018 and was signed to a reserve future contract. He was one of the players cut when the Panthers finalized their 53-man roster this season, but he was re-signed and placed on the practice squad. He has never appeared in a regular season NFL game http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-daryl-williams-jersey , but he’ll probably make his debut on Sunday against the Saints.