The Atlanta Falcons are sinking deeper every passing week, but it’s still not too late for them to salvage their season. They can get their first win of the year in Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, who have not won in Atlanta since 2014. The Panthers, however, are on a roll, so this could be the time that they’ll get a win at Mercedez-Benz Stadium.
The Panthers are suddenly having success even without their best player. They have gotten back to .500 after two wins in a row, beating the LA Chargers in Week 3 on the road, 21-16, and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 ay home, 31-21. That win over the Cardinals strengthened the notion that the Panthers are getting better with Teddy Bridgewater under center, and that they are doing it without running back Christian McCaffrey is only adding to the surprise. Bridgewater went 26-of-37 for 276 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns with an interception against Arizona. He also rushed six times for 32 yards and a touchdown. The backfield continues to generate yards on the ground, as Mike Davis and company produced 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries against Arizona. That’s a testament to the great work of Carolina’s offensive line that’s making people shine with good blocking and improved pass protection. After getting sacked six times in the first two weeks, Bridgewater has only been taken down twice since.
The over is 3-1-1 in the Panthers’ last five games.
There are just so many wrong things on the Falcons team right now, most of which are being highlighted after their 30-16 home loss to the Green Bay Packers last Monday. There’s Matt Ryan’s play and also the team’s difficulty in moving the chains on the ground. Ryan admitted he played bad in the Packers game, as he completed 28-of-39 passes for 285 yards and zero touchdowns. He was sacked four times for a loss of 36 yards. Although Todd Gurley rushed for two touchdowns, the last one was when the Falcons were trailing big, the Falcons managed just 3.1 yards per carry. Adding more to the problems of Atlanta is the barrage of injuries it is dealing with. Julio Jones appeared to hurt his hamstring in the loss to Green Bay, while Calvin Ridley missed Week 4 with a hammy problem of his own. The Falcons have days to get it together in time for the meeting with Carolina, and it seems that they will have to ride the back of Gurley for that one. Gurley will be facing the Panthers’ defense that allowed 129 rushing yards on 23 carries to Arizona last week.
The Falcons are 2-2 against the spread in their last four home games. They are also 5-0 straight-up and against the spread in their last five home games against Carolina.
