Panthers Name Starting QB vs. Falcons; Who Gets The Nod?

The Atlanta Falcons will face PJ Walker Sunday in the NFC South matchup.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 26, 2022

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The Atlanta Falcons are kicking off practice today to prepare for this weekend's matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers, who improved to 2-5 after an upset win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend, have had more trouble at the quarterback position than most teams.

After trading for Sam Darnold last season and feeling unimpressed, the team drafted Ole Miss signal caller Matt Corral in the third round this spring and traded for Baker Mayfield this offseason. However, all three of those players are dealing with injuries, leaving PJ Walker to start a third straight game for the Panthers this week.

Even though he may not be the Panthers' first option, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith respects Walker and sees how much of a challenge he presents.

"I think he's a very tough-minded player," Smith said. "Seems like he's got pretty good pocket presence. I can see why guys are confident when he's in there. Every week is a different challenge and certainly guys like PJ, (it) hasn't been the easy road for him, but we've got all the respect in the world for him."

Walker completed 72.7 percent of his passes and threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns in Carolina's win on Sunday, and he'll look to continue impressing this weekend in an attempt to save the Panthers' season against the Falcons.

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Published Oct 26, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.