CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young ran for a touchdown, Chau Smith-Wade returned an interception 11 yards for a score and rookie Ryan Fitzgerald made three field goals and the Carolina Panthers routed the Atlanta Falcons 30-0 on Sunday for their first win of the season.

Young was 16 of 24 for 121 yards, but played mistake free after turning the ball over five times in the previous two games.

Smith-Wade's third-quarter pick-6 highlighted a dominant performance for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's unit as the Panthers (1-2) intercepted Michael Penix Jr. twice, forced three turnovers and limited the Falcons to 5 of 16 conversions on third and fourth downs for their first shutout since Nov. 22, 2020.

Outside of Bijan Robinson, who combined for 111 yards from scrimmage — 72 on the groun

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