The Panthers’ offensive line quickly came to Bridgewater’s defense, stepping to Atlanta defenders as Bridgewater remained on the ground.

“It’s a brotherhood over here. Everybody’s got each other’s back,” Samuel said. “Nobody on our O-line is going to allow anybody to take a shot at our quarterback. That’s our quarterback. We’ve got to protect him.”

Added running back Mike Davis:

“You never want to see that happen to your quarterback, so you’ve always got to stand up for him.”

Bridgewater didn’t want to go as far as calling Harris’ hit a cheap shot, saying he’d go back and look at the play. But Davis had no such reservations.

“Yeah, I think it was a cheap shot,” Davis said. “It was late, they hit him in the neck. That’s just something you hate to see. It’s unnecessary.”

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