Despite giving up 91 points in their first 3 matchups, the Atlanta Falcons find themselves 2-1 and a home win away from having a commanding lead in the NFC South division.
The Falcons have been able to overcome some serious defensive liabilities due to their league leading offense (1st in points scored, touchdowns and yards). It remains to be seen whether or not this high octane offense can continue to outscore teams in these shootouts, but for now they possess the most balanced attack in the league. They rank 4th in passing yards with a 119 QB rating and 5th in rushing with a 5.0 yard average. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are quickly becoming one of the league’s top 1-2 punches at running back. This, of course, opens things up for Matt Ryan and the passing game.
Carolina’s starting corners, Bene Benwikere and Bradberry James, are as green as they come and will need constant help from the safeties to contain Julio Jones. In other words, the Falcons are the closest thing to an unstoppable offense as we have in Week 4.
Having said that, the Panthers have an advantageous defense that have performed much better than their 1-2 record indicates. They have limited two 3-0 teams to an average of 274 yards, 17 first downs and twenty five and a half minutes time of possession. These are all top 5 numbers and will ultimately be the driving force that gets the Panthers back on track to their winning ways. I’m just not sure if that bounce back begins this week in Atlanta, though. The Panthers’ running game has been negated in the absence of Jonathan Stewart. Cam Newton will have to create plays on the ground to compensate. Last week he only rushed 7 times for 26 yards. He will also have to do a much better job of hooking up with Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, both of whom were unable to record a catch last week against Minnesota. Failure to execute either one of these game plans will likely result in another low score outing for Carolina, and that has not ended well for them in 2016. All signs point to the classic “unstoppable offense vs. impenetrable defense” struggle, with Cam being the X-Factor.
[h=4]How to Watch Panthers vs. Falcons on Sunday[/h]Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman, Kristina Pink
Online Streaming: Sunday Ticket, FOX Sports GO
The Falcons have been able to overcome some serious defensive liabilities due to their league leading offense (1st in points scored, touchdowns and yards). It remains to be seen whether or not this high octane offense can continue to outscore teams in these shootouts, but for now they possess the most balanced attack in the league. They rank 4th in passing yards with a 119 QB rating and 5th in rushing with a 5.0 yard average. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are quickly becoming one of the league’s top 1-2 punches at running back. This, of course, opens things up for Matt Ryan and the passing game.
Carolina’s starting corners, Bene Benwikere and Bradberry James, are as green as they come and will need constant help from the safeties to contain Julio Jones. In other words, the Falcons are the closest thing to an unstoppable offense as we have in Week 4.
Having said that, the Panthers have an advantageous defense that have performed much better than their 1-2 record indicates. They have limited two 3-0 teams to an average of 274 yards, 17 first downs and twenty five and a half minutes time of possession. These are all top 5 numbers and will ultimately be the driving force that gets the Panthers back on track to their winning ways. I’m just not sure if that bounce back begins this week in Atlanta, though. The Panthers’ running game has been negated in the absence of Jonathan Stewart. Cam Newton will have to create plays on the ground to compensate. Last week he only rushed 7 times for 26 yards. He will also have to do a much better job of hooking up with Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess, both of whom were unable to record a catch last week against Minnesota. Failure to execute either one of these game plans will likely result in another low score outing for Carolina, and that has not ended well for them in 2016. All signs point to the classic “unstoppable offense vs. impenetrable defense” struggle, with Cam being the X-Factor.
[h=4]How to Watch Panthers vs. Falcons on Sunday[/h]Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.
TV: FOX
Announcers: Dick Stockton, Chris Spielman, Kristina Pink
Online Streaming: Sunday Ticket, FOX Sports GO