Panthers' quest for perfection ended by Falcons
The Carolina Panthers' pursuit of a perfect NFL season ended Sunday with a stunning 20-13 loss to the Falcons in Atlanta.
In the penultimate week of the regular season the Panthers were aiming to move to 15-0, but the Falcons, fighting for their playoff lives, had other ideas.
Julio Jones leapt over two defenders to reel in a spectacular 70-yard touchdown catch and rookie Vic Beasley sealed the triumph by forcing a fumble from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the final minute that the Falcons recovered.
Atlanta avenged a 38-0 blowout loss to the Panthers on December 12, and kept their slim post-season hopes alive, although wins for either Seattle or Minnesota later in the day would eliminate them.
The Panthers can still secure home-field advantage throughout the National Football Conference playoffs with an Arizona Cardinals loss to the Green Bay Packers later Sunday.
But the 2007 New England Patriots remain the only NFL team to post a 16-0 regular season.
After riding roughshod over the league that year, the Patriots were stunned in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to record a perfect championship season -- going 14-0 in the regular season before winning three playoff games that included a Super Bowl triumph over the Washington Redskins.
Newton had two chances to lead comeback drives late in the fourth quarter but couldn't find the end zone.
The play of the game was Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's deep throw to Jones, who went airborne to elude defenders Charles Tillman and linebacker Luke Kuechly then raced into the end zone.
Jones finished with 178 yards on nine receptions and broke his own Falcons record for receiving yards in a season. Ryan completed 23 of 30 passes for 306 yards. His touchdown pass to Jones was the 200th of his career.