Take 5: Five quick takeaways from the Falcons’ 30-27 loss to the Panthers

The Falcons’ kicker saved the game — for a little while.

Zane Gonzalez made two field goals in the fourth quarter, including a 45-yarder with 16 seconds left that tied the score and helped send the game to overtime after the Carolina Panthers scored a touchdown with 1:08 left and took a 27-24 lead.

Gonzalez’s kick sent it to overtime, but the Falcons fell to the Carolina Panthers in overtime, 30-27, on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Falcons couldn’t hold on in overtime, following injuries to quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and receiver Drake London in the second half.

The Falcons (3-7) surrendered a 21-10 halftime lead in losing their fifth straight game, after the Panthers’ Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 28-yard field goal to win it.

The Panthers improved to 6-5, sweeping the season series against the Falcons.

Penix injured

In the third quarter, Penix was trying to evade the pass rush and on the tackle, Penix landed awkwardly on his left knee. He tried to walk off the field, but dropped down to the turf and tossed his helmet in frustration.

After staying down for a minute or so, with Falcons medical staff examining him, Penix got up and was able to walk off on his own power.

Penix went to the medical tent for further examination and when he came out, he sat on the bench. All the while, backup QB Kirk Cousins was beginning to warm up. The Falcons called it a knee injury and on the next offensive series, Cousins took the reins of the offense.

It’s the second time that Cousins has relieved Penix against the Panthers, including the first matchup this season, amid the 30-0 blowout loss.

Whether it’s a serious injury is unclear, but it’s hard to believe that the Falcons would keep Penix out if he were able to return, with the season in the balance because of their 3-6 start.

Bijan is back

One of the big questions during the Falcons’ four-game losing streak was why Bijan Robinson wasn’t getting the big runs and touchdowns that he was in the previous five games.

That Bijan is back.

Robinson scored two touchdowns in the first half to help the Falcons get out to the lead, but more importantly, it set their offense back on track to their winning ways.

He had 16 carries for 93 yards and two catches for 17 yards in the first half, going over 100 scrimmage yards for the first time since Week 5.

Kicking a plus

In the mix of everything else going on, with injuries to both starting quarterbacks, Falcons kicker Zane Gonzalez made a pretty big play late in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons were clinging to a 21-19 lead and after failing to get a first down on a potential clinching drive, they looked to Gonzalez, their third kicker this season, to extend the lead — and he delivered, a 52-yard field goal with 2:43 remaining to push the lead to 24-19.

That meant the Panthers needed a touchdown on their final possession of the game to try to take the lead. It’s a small thing, but it’s bigger, considering the kicking issues the team has been through this season.

Bumpy third quarter

After playing almost to perfection on both sides of the ball in the second quarter, the Falcons struggled mightily in the third period. In the second period, they turned a 7-7 game into a 21-7 margin with under two minutes remaining. The Panthers were able to add a field goal to make it a 21-10 Falcons advantage going into halftime.

The offense was flowing and the defense was playing well, but in the third quarter, the tide turned and the Panthers scored all nine points in the period on a touchdown and a field goal, pulling within 21-16.