The Carolina Panthers will look to pick up their first win of the season when they host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 NFL action.
Carolina showed signs of life in Week 2, but I don’t think they have enough to win this game, which is why I’m backing Atlanta in my Falcons vs. Panthers predictions.
Let’s look at some early leans on this NFC South matchup in my free NFL picks for Sunday, September 21.
Falcons vs Panthers predictions
Here are our early thoughts on the spread and total for this week’s game. We will have a full game preview (with a best bet and SGP) later in the week.
Early Falcons vs Panthers spread pick: Falcons -3.5
The Atlanta Falcons were dominant in a 22-6 win over the Vikings on Sunday night, holding Minnesota to just 198 total yards of offense while watching Bijan Robinson run for 143 yards on the night. While it wasn’t a great offensive performance overall, Atlanta did more than enough to outscore a shaky Vikings offense led by a young, unproven quarterback.
The Falcons will find themselves in a similar situation in Week 3. While Bryce Young was able to compile 328 yards and three touchdown passes while coming up short in a comeback on Sunday, it took 55 attempts — and he still only completed 35 of those passes. So far over two games, Young is completing 58.9% of his passes.
This Carolina Panthers defense may not be downright awful, but it isn’t inspiring confidence either. Carolina is 24th in expected points average allowed, with an identical 0.12 EPA against both the pass and the run. On the other hand, Atlanta’s defense has been outstanding (-0.14 EPA), and the Falcons have the offensive weapons to score against a mediocre defense.
Early Falcons vs Panthers total pick: Under 43.5
Given what we’ve seen out of the Atlanta defense, it’s hardly surprising that the Falcons have played to the Under in their first two games. Allowing a total of just 29 points over two games will make it hard to reach any total, and the Falcons are only averaging 21 ppg so far in 2025 themselves.
Atlanta could have a good day on offense against Carolina, which hasn’t been great against the run and will struggle to keep Robinson in check, but with the total at 43.5, we’ll need something significant out of the Panthers to reach the number, and I just don’t see them performing well against this Falcons defense.
We just saw what Atlanta did to JJ McCarthy. The Falcons hounded the young quarterback with different looks, recording six sacks while also forcing two interceptions — all while McCarthy only threw the ball 21 times.
The Falcons may not be able to hold Bryce Young and the Panthers to just six points, but the results should be largely similar. I don’t expect Atlanta to carry the total singlehandedly, so with Carolina contributing only a few points, the Under is my pick.
Falcons vs Panthers odds
- Falcons vs. Panthers spread: Panthers +3.5
- Falcons vs. Panthers moneyline: Falcons -185, Panthers +155
- Falcons vs. Panthers Over/Under: 43.5
How to watch Falcons vs Panthers
- Falcons vs. Panthers matchup
- Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025, 1:00 p.m. ET
- City: Charlotte, NC
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium
- TV: FOX
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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