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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers drained seven minutes and 35 seconds off the clock to ultimately defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 9-7, Sunday with a walk-off field goal at Bank of America Stadium.

Below is how every game recap this 2023 season will be broken down by quarter for right-at-the-buzzer consumption, starting with a note that Atlanta won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. New Orleans started with the ball.

FIRST QUARTER

The weather wasn't the only thing dreary about the start of Sunday's game. It was 47 degrees at kickoff, with consistent rain. Just about every fan was in a poncho or at least some type of waterproof jacket.

And then neither team scored in the opening 15 minutes.

(NOTE: The last time the Falcons scored a touchdown on their first offensive drive was in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Atlanta ultimately won that game, 16-13. … Also, the last time the Falcons did not put up any points in the first quarter was Week 13 against the New York Jets. Atlanta ultimately won that game, 13-8. It, too, was a rain fest.)

Since there were no scoring plays to note, let's take a look at the stats sheet. The Falcons netted 55 yards, while the Panthers had 33. Falcons running back Tyler Allgeier led both teams with 29 yards rushing on seven carries. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder led both teams with 25 yards passing on three completions out of five attempts. And then Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts led both teams with 10 yards receiving on one catch.

Scoring plays:

None

End Q1: 0-0, all

It wasn't until the 6:06 mark that something noteworthy happened. Ridder completed a deep 56-yard pass to tight end Jonnu Smith, bringing the Falcons from their own 37-yard line to the Panthers' 7-yard line. From there, running back Bijan Robinson picked up five more yards on the ground. And then, Ridder completed a short pass to running back Cordarrelle Patterson for a 2-yard touchdown.

The Panthers were able to get into the Falcons' red zone but failed to fully capitalize on the opportunity. Carolina put together a 12-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off with a 34-yard field goal by kicker Eddy Pineiro.

That's all the two teams were able to come up with in the first half.

The stat sheet at the halfway point showed the Falcons with 137 net yards, Panthers with 112. Each team punted four times for a combined 88.8 yards.

Scoring plays:

Falcons: Desmond Ridder 2-yard pass to Cordarrelle Patterson; Younghoe Koo PAT … 7-0, ATL Panthers: Eddy Pineiro 34-yard field goal … 7-3, ATL

Halftime: 7-3, ATL

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Things essentially went the same way as the first quarter, with neither team adding to their score. But then the Panthers got a spark of life after a defensive turnover toward the end of the period. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson fumbled and lost the ball. Panthers cornerback Troy Hill forced and recovered it, giving Carolina possession at the Atlanta 24-yard line.

The Panthers were able to pick up an addition 11 yards before the clock ran out. Of course, Carolina kept the ball to start the fourth quarter, though. So, the Panthers took over at the Falcons' 13-yard line.

Before getting there, Falcons defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham deserves quick recognition for his sack of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. It was the first sack of Graham's career, which is in its third season.

Scoring plays:

None

End Q3: 7-3, ATL

Well, the Panthers were unable to capitalize on their red-zone appearance, again. Pineiro was set up with a 25-yard field goal instead, and he made it. The drive consisted of six plays for 17 net yards.

The Falcons were later 18 yards away from extending their lead. But then Ridder threw an interception, missing the targeted Patterson. Panthers safety Xavier Woods was responsible for the pick at the Carolina 3-yard line. He returned it two yards.

This time, the Panthers used the turnover in the best way possible for themselves: to win the game. The offense made moves down the field with a 17-play, 51-yard drive. Young took a knee three times before Pineiro came out to give the Panthers the victory with a 23-yard field goal.

Scoring plays:

Panthers: Eddy Pineiro 25-yard field goal … 7-6, ATL Panthers: Eddy Pineiro 23-yard field goal … 9-7, CAR

Final: 9-7, CAR

BYU made another overmatched opponent look like just that Saturday night at the Marriott Center, pounding Georgia State 86-54 and improving to 10-1 on the year.

The No. 18 Cougars never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 9-0 lead and never looking back.

The Panthers did make things interesting late in the initial half, finding a way to cut BYU’s advantage to five, but never could get any closer than that as the Cougars remained in control of the contest from start to finish.

“It was a great win,” BYU junior big man Aly Khalifa said. “(I) feel like we played super hard from the jump all the way to the end. Especially the start of the second half, I feel like we separated ourselves from them … I feel like everybody played well.”

Getting good nights from multiple players has become a theme to the school’s season. Saturday, the Cougars had their sixth leading scorer on the year when sophomore forward Richie Saunders scored a career high 20 points off the bench. Saunders’ career night proved timely after senior sharpshooter Jaxson Robinson, the school’s sixth man and leading scorer, tweaked his ankle contesting a fast break layup.

BYU coach Mark Pope said that Robinson might have been able to come back in the second half but instead the fifth-year Cougars’ coach and his staff decided it would be better to take full precautionary measures.

In the end, BYU’s offensive firepower, sans Robinson, was more than enough to get the job done.

Fortunately for the Cougars, though Robinson went down, they got a player back from injury when junior guard Dawson Baker made his BYU debut. The UC Irvine transfer, who has been battling a foot injury, ended the night with six points in nine minutes and displayed how deep the school’s roster is.

Pope lauded his team’s depth following the victory. “Depth is required if you’re going to be a high level basketball team,” he said. “That’s what’s going to help us get through this gauntlet that we’re about to start here.”

Prior to Saturday night, BYU and Georgia State had only met on one other occasion – a 2012 meeting that saw the Cougars beat the Panthers in Provo by 18 points.

BYU bested that advantage with a 20-point lead less than three and a half minutes into the second half of the schools’ second go-around. The Cougars would extend that lead as time wore on, ultimately earning another 30-plus point victory.

With its win over the Panthers, BYU remains perfect at home on the year, having won six of those seven games by 16 or more points.

What added to the Cougars impressive night against Georgia State was their ability to take care of the ball, ending the night with a season low four turnovers.

“It was a real Achilles heel for us last year,” Pope said about turnovers. “These guys, all summer long, were self monitoring; and it matters to them … I know they’re really proud of themselves and they should be because (only four turnovers is) pretty remarkable.”

Just about a third of the way through the season, the school has performed remarkably well in many ways. Most importantly, in the win column as Saturday’s victory marks the fastest BYU has reached the double-digit win mark since 2010. That season saw the Cougars begin 10-0 behind a historic season from Jimmer Fredette as he took over the college basketball world by storm.

This year, BYU has again turned some heads in the college basketball community but remains focused on the task at hand in hopes that this season can turn out as magical as the one 13 years ago.

“It’s awesome,” Cougars’ sophomore point guard Dallin Hall said when asked what it means to be on a similar track as that Sweet Sixteen team. “It’s exciting but it’s just one game at a time for us.”

BYU will resume play next week when it welcomes Bellarmine to Provo Friday. That game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m MST.

ATLANTA -- Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley and Spencer Strider headline the list of five Braves elected to this year’s All-MLB Team.

Acuña, Riley and Strider earned First Team selections at their respective positions. Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies were elected to the Second Team. The announcement was made Saturday night during MLB Network’s All-MLB Team Show presented by MGM Rewards.

It certainly wasn’t surprising to see the Braves so well represented after producing an MLB-best 104 wins. Fan voting accounted for half of the selection process, with the other 50% coming from a decorated panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials throughout the game. Votes were based on regular-season performance.

Acuña produced one of the game’s most incredible seasons, as he became the first player to hit 40-plus homers and tally 70-plus stolen bases in the same season. He earned his first NL MVP Award after hitting .337 with 41 home runs, 217 hits, 80 extra-base hits, 106 RBIs, 149 runs, a 1.012 OPS and 84 strikeouts.

He joined Lou Gehrig (1927), Chuck Klein ('30) and Joe DiMaggio ('37) as the only players to hit at least .335 with 40 home runs, 215 hits, 80 extra-base hits, 100 RBIs, 145 runs and a 1.000 OPS with fewer than 90 strikeouts.

Mookie Betts (Dodgers) and Corbin Carroll (D-backs) were the other First Team outfielders. Aaron Judge (Yankees), Adolis García (Rangers) and Kyle Tucker (Astros) earned Second Team outfielder honors. This was Acuña’s first career First Team selection. He was a Second Team selection in 2019 and '20.

Riley led all MLB third basemen with 5.2 fWAR. He recorded his third straight 30-homer season and hit .281 with 37 homers and a .861 OPS. He was also the First Team third baseman in 2021.

José Ramírez (Guardians) was elected the Second Team third baseman.

Strider was the Majors’ only 20-game winner this year, and his franchise-record 281 strikeouts were 44 more than any other Major Leaguer. His 36.8% strikeout rate ranks fourth all time among pitchers with at least 180 innings in a season. Those ahead of him are Gerrit Cole (39.9 in 2019) Pedro Martinez (37.5 in 1999) and Randy Johnson (37.4 in 2001).

The other First Team pitchers were Cole (Yankees), Zac Gallen (D-backs), Blake Snell (Padres) and Shohei Ohtani (Angels).

Olson led the Majors and set Modern Era franchise records with 54 homers and 139 RBIs. He also led the NL with a .604 slugging percentage.

Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) was elected the First Team first baseman.

Albies hit 33 homers and produced a .849 OPS. This was the 26-year-old switch-hitter’s second 30-homer season.

Marcus Semien (Rangers) was elected the First Team second baseman.

ATLANTA -- Will Benson remembered the baseball practices he endured on the small fields at Sandtown Park and his desire to reach the top of the hill to play on the big ones. He eventually made it to the bigger fields, the Minors as the No. 14 overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and, ultimately, the big leagues.

But Benson hasn’t forgotten the community that helped build him.

On an overcast, chilly and windy Saturday morning, Benson and his nonprofit organization, Future is Near, brought warmth and joy to over 40 families in need by providing more than 130 gifts in the foundation’s second toy drive at Kingdom Difference Church and Sandtown Park.

“I really believe that's just the Lord working through me to be honest, and I always grew up looking at other professional players do that for their community,” Benson said. “I always look at the things that LeBron James did for Ohio and the things that he continues to do for his hometown. … I would like to fall into that envelope.”

Will Benson knows his purpose extends well beyond the diamond. As an ambassador of the MLB Players Trust, he is utilizing the resources he has to give back to his hometown of Atlanta and beyond. ?? pic.twitter.com/k5Zp8wxvnI

— MLBPA (@MLBPA) December 13, 2023

When Benson arrived at his childhood church and park, he walked around and reflected on all of his memories. The Reds outfielder took photos with families and handed out a variety of Christmas gifts. He compared the toy drive to The Jackson 5 song, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.”

Benson was joined by Future is Near board members, including his mother Ramona, and A’s outfielder Lawrence Butler.

“Everything’s about giving back to the community,” Butler said. “So if we can come back to our home park, help some families out, [and] make some Christmas [memories], that's just a beautiful thing.”

Since being drafted, Benson has been active in the Metro Atlanta area through Future is Near. The nonprofit’s goal is to empower youth to achieve their dreams and make a difference through inspiration, funding and navigation.

The organization has held a variety of events, such as “Walk Through the Streets of Atlanta,” which handed out snacks and supplies to those in need in the city, and the Sandlot Stars Youth Camp, a program in Georgia designed to help kids hone their baseball skills.

“Will has always been that type of person,” servant pastor of the Kingdom Difference Family Fellowship Albert Lindsey said. “As soon as he was drafted, I got a call from his mom saying, ‘Will wants to do something for the church.’ So that foundation has always been in place, and that consistency and continuity is who Will is.”

Benson’s commitment to helping his community and youth baseball led to his induction to the South Fulton Hall of Fame in November. In the coming years, he hopes his foundation’s events grow larger in scale and impact. With the help from those closest to him, Benson believes it is possible.

“[Their support] means everything to me, it means the world to me,” Benson said. “It solidifies who's really in my circle, so I know who's really rocking with me, and who's willing to help me change my community and, in the grand scheme, change the world.”

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Derrian Carter is a reporter/producer for MLB.com.

Tonight, Major League Baseball announced its 2023 All-MLB Team on a made-for-broadcast event held in Las Vegas and aired on the MLB Network.

The All-MLB Team began in 2019 and encompasses both leagues and is awarded with a First Team and Second Team. Selection is based on a fan vote and a panel of baseball experts, each of which accounts for 50-percent of the vote total.

Led by the unanimous 2023 National League Most Valuable Player, Ronald Acuna, Jr., the Atlanta Braves had five players receive All-MLB Team honors.

Receiving All-MLB First Team honors with Acuña, Jr. were starting pitcher Spencer Strider and third baseman Austin Riley. Second Team honors were bestowed upon first baseman Matt Olson and second baseman Ozzie Albies.

Acuña, Jr. was the first player in MLB history have a 40+ home run/70+ stolen base season while leading the National League in numerous offensive categories. He was named a 2023 Silver Slugger and the 2023 TSN MLB Player of the Year. Acuña, Jr. was also announced as the winner of the 2023 Hank Aaron Award for the best offensive player in the National League during the All-MLB Team ceremony broadcast.

Strider led MLB in strikeouts with 281 and wins with 20 during a 2023 season that saw him start 32 games and pitch 186.2 innings. He also led MLB in strikeouts per nine with 13.5 and the National League in FIP with 2.85. He finished fourth the National League Cy Young award and was named to his first All-Star game.

Riley was named All-MLB First Team for the second time in his career. In 159 games, he hit 37 home runs and drove in 97 runs while scoring 117 times. For the season he slashed .281/.345/.516 good for a 128 OPS+. He also won a Silver Slugger and finished seventh in the NL MVP voting.

Despite Olson leading MLB in games played, home runs and RBI, he earned Second Team honor behind former Brave Freddie Freeman. For the season, Olson set the Braves franchise record with 54 home runs and drove in 139 runs while scoring 127 time. He slashed .283/.389/.604 - all of which were career highs - and his slugging percentage was the best in the National League. He won the Silver Slugger and finished fourth in the NL MVP voting this year as well.

Albies, who finished 16th in the NL MVP voting, scored 96 runs while driving in 109 in 148 games during the 2023 campaign. He hit 33 home runs in route to a .280/.336/.513 slash line which was good for a career-best 124 OPS+. He also stole 13 bases while only be caught once.

All five of Atlanta’s All-MLB Team honorees were All-Stars in 2023.

Prior Atlanta Braves First Team All-MLB honorees include: Riley (2021), Freeman (2020), Marcell Ozuna (2020) and Max Fried (2020).

Braves garnering Second Team All-MLB honors in past years are: Fried (2022, 2021), Freeman (2021, 2019), Albies (2021), Acuña, Jr. (2020, 2019) and Michael Soroka (2019).