It's an NFC South matchup on Sunday as the Carolina Panthers travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. EST start time and it will be televised live on FOX. Currently the odds for the game have the Falcons favored by 7 points.
We saw last week that the Panthers probably aren't ready for prime time just yet, losing at home to a really good road team in the New York Giants. The Panthers were favored and the Giants were coming in banged up and playing without key guys at key positions but none of that mattered as the Giants pounded away on the Panthers.
Cam Newton struggled in that game and it showed he's still a young quarterback that might not be ready for that next level of maturity. Carolina has not won a single game when Newton has thrown an interception in his short career, going 0-11 in those games. Sure, the Panthers have had a few extra days of rest because their game last week was on Thursday, but how do they respond after a 36-7 beatdown at home?
Atlanta has traveled quite a bit in the early portion of the season, having gone from Atlanta to San Diego and then back to Atlanta, so maybe there is a bit of jet lag there. But then again, maybe there isn't. The Falcons have been one of, if not the best team overall in the league to this point in the season.
Matt Ryan has been dynamite in the first three games of the year, throwing for 800 yards and eight touchdowns early on with only one interception. Plus the dude is flat out dominant at home. We know the Falcons are going to want to pass the ball quite a bit and with Ryan and that receiving core, there's no reason to think they won't. Carolina has allowed more than 240 yards passing through the air per game this season.
Carolina is going to want to pound the rock and pound it often. With guys like DeAngelo Williams, Newton and Jonathan Stewart, they set themselves up nicely with a solid running game that allows the Panthers to utilize multiple sets and formations. In the first three weeks of the season, Atlanta was susceptible to the run, giving up more than 128 yards per game on average to their opponents on the ground.
One thing that also must be addressed is the turnover ratio by the Falcons. They rank tops in the league in that category, siting at +10 so far this year. How often will the Falcons be able to keep winning the turnover battle? Atlanta has also covered the spread in all three of their games this season.
We think the Panthers can pose some problems for the Falcons in running the ball. Atlanta doesn't lose football games at home, but we think giving Carolina this many points is a bit much in this spot. We're going to ride the Cam Newton train as Carolina is going to be able to keep this game close.
Free Pick: Atlanta 28, Carolina 24
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