Panthers' undefeated season ends at the hands of the Falcons

The Carolina Panthers played like a team trying to protect its perfect season. The Atlanta Falcons played with anintensity unseen since September. The result: a 20-13 Falcons victory, the end of Carolina's perfect season and a small measure of redemption for an Atlanta team that's looked among the worst in the league the past two months.

Coming into this game, not one single person not on the Falcons payroll gave Atlanta a chance. The Falcons were one-touchdown underdogs, even in their notoriously friendly home confines. The Panthers were riding the momentum of the grin and attitude of their MVP-level quarterback Cam Newton. Early on, it appeared this game would be over quick enough for everyone to get back to some Christmas exchanges.

Carolina began with a smooth 11-play, 80-yard drive. Newton ended the march with an 8-yard touchdown run, and his ensuing celebration was so long it could have used an intermission. He posed, dabbed, handed the ball to a young Panthers fan, posed some more, then strutted along the sideline, barely getting out of bounds before the extra point was snapped. The many, many, MANY Carolina fans in attendance loved it. The Panthers were up 7-0 before the Falcons even touched the ball, and appeared primed to roll straight to their 15th consecutive win.

But a strange thing happened: the Falcons, gone since before Halloween, showed up once again. Oh, sure, there was rust and uncertainty; that'll happen when you haven't played anything approaching decent football for nearly three months. But quarterback Matt Ryan made wise decisions and took chances in the right spots, throwing when he needed to and scrambling when he didn't. Devonta Freeman looked like the world-thrashing beast of September. And Julio Jones ... well, all he did was pull off one of the most exceptional plays of 2015:

Carolina, meanwhile, couldn't manage any kind of consistent offense after its hot start, its post-touchdown drives ending in three punts, two field goals, and one fourth-down missed conversion when Newton got the ball back in his hands with 1:30 remaining in the game.

The resulting drive began at Carolina's 20. In the most critical defensive stand of their entire year, for pride if nothing else, the Falcons held strong, stripping Newton of the ball and running out the clock to claim the win.

Carolina, meanwhile, has larger goals in mind. Perfection is no longer attainable. A championship still is.