Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers Week 14 Preview
The biggest difference from the first meeting is that Carolina will be quarterbacked by Cam Newton. The former league MVP has returned to Carolina after an injury to Sam Darnold. Newton is 6-9 all time vs. Atlanta.
Head to Head
Falcons D vs Panthers O
The Atlanta Falcons couldn't stop the Panthers rushing the football in week 8. Carolina will be just as run heavy this coming Sunday despite Christian McCaffrey being out injured. The Panthers haven't passed for more then 200 yards since week 4 of this season. McCaffrey missed the last meeting between these sides too. Chuba Hubbard will start in his absence. Hubbard started in Atlanta, rushing for 82 yards on 24 carries on that occasion.
Carolina managed to keep the pocket clean for Sam Darnold that day, not allowing a sack. Darnold had joy rushing the football in that game too, adding 66 yards on 8 carries. Cam Newton is one of the best rushing quarterbacks ever so we should see plenty of read option rush plays.
Carolina average 19.7 points per game on offense. If the Falcons can stop the run on early downs, then they should feel confident of keeping the 24th ranked scoring Panthers offense under 20 points. The Falcons have sacked the opposing quarterback the least amount of times in the NFL, only 15 times, four less than the second worst team. TJ Watt has more sacks by himself then our whole team. The Falcons defence allows 4.2 yards per carry which ranks 16th in the NFL.
DJ Moore is the Panthers biggest receiving threat. He will fancy his chances to have a big day against an Atlanta secondary that allowed the most catches in a game to a player this season last time out (Chris Godwin with 15 catches). Robbie Anderson has struggled mightily this season as the Panthers offense has regressed since moving on from Teddy Bridgewater.
AJ Terrell is allowing the lowest completion percentage of any corner back in 2021 at only 47.7 %. Falcons defence ranks 31st allowing 27.7 points per game.
Falcons O vs Panthers D
Julio Jones once had 300 in a game vs this weekends opponents. Tajae Sharpe is a complete waste of time when we go to three wide receiver sets. How bad must Blake and Darby be if they can't get reps ahead of him?! Jalen Mayfield looks like a deer in the headlights week after week but the Falcons coaching staff continue to put him out there without anyimprovement
In their first meeting, Carolina held Matt Ryan to an embarrassing 5.4 yards per completion. They also forced two interceptions and sacked Ryan three times. Atlanta rank 27th in offense points per game at 18.0. Carolina's defence is the only elite unit in this ball game. They rank 7th in points allowed per game at only 21.1. They are stout against the pass; posing the #2 ranked pass defence. It isn't cause of their defence that Carolina only have a 5-7 record.
Falcons vs Panthers (Special Teams)
The Panthers are well coached on special teams having not allowed a punt or kickoff return touchdown this season. They only allow an average of 20.4 return yards per kick off, so Matt Ryan might face several long field drives. Thomas Morstead has been a big improvement at punter for Atlanta. Morstead has averaged 44 yards per punt since joining three weeks ago.
A Panthers Fan View
I asked huge Carolina Panthers Fan James Korba a few questions about his team. James runs the St. Louis chapter (@StlRiot on Twitter) of the roaring riot (@roaringriot on Twitter) Carolina Panthers fan website.
What are your thoughts on Matt Rhules tenure so far?
"As far as rhules tenure I wouldn't say he came in hot with the preacher talk and seemed to be someone that could get the players motivated. I just don't feel like he's been able to keep them motivated. It's been hard to trust him too since a lot of the times he's said he's high on a player, they end up gone shortly after. Two years is a pretty quick amount of time to turn a team around so I'm not calling for him to be gone just yet. Something has to change the rest of this season and next."
Do you agree with the Joe Brady firing?
"Brady also was the cool thing to do but he definitely wasn't panning out. Both years his play calling seemed so limited with such special talents at the skill positions. I think it was the right move."
Are you happy with how the season has gone so far?
"I'm not happy with the season at this point. Yes I knew the offense line needed a lot of work so I shouldn't expect much but you always still expect your team to pull off some miracle where everyone just steps up. Winning the first 3 also gave a lot of hope just to be let down, yet again."
What player is your unsung hero?
"Reddick has to be the unsung hero, he is getting praise for how good he's doing but they need to resign him and let him take charge as the leader of the defense."
Your biggest strength?
"The biggest strength has to be the young defense that has already been doing so well. I think there's something special there."
Your biggest weakness?
"Biggest weakness is definitely the offense line and lack of motivational coaching. Hopefully the offense line can be fixed with this years rookies falling into place and the team finding some line talent in next years draft/free agency. As far as the coaching, they gotta figure that out."
Score prediction?
"Panthers pull off the win 23-17."
Betting Odds
Spread: Panthers -2.5
Moneyline: Falcons +125 Panthers -155
Over/Under: 43.5 points
Prediction
Falcons 17-19 Panthers.
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