Carolina @ Atlanta preview
Georgia Dome
Last Meeting ( Dec 13, 2015 ) Atlanta 0, Carolina 38
The Atlanta Falcons didn’t present much of a challenge to the Carolina Panthers’ perfect record when the NFC South rivals met two weeks ago. The Falcons hope to flip the script and spoil Carolina’s shot at perfection when they host the Panthers for a rematch on Sunday.
The Panthers can lock up the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a win or tie, or an Arizona loss or tie against Green Bay - a likely scenario considering they’ve outscored the Falcons 72-3 in the last two meetings, including a 38-0 rout in Week 14. Carolina has survived close calls in two of the last three weeks, needing late field goals to win on the road against New Orleans (41-38) and the New York Giants (38-35). Atlanta must win and get some help in the form of a loss by Minnesota or Seattle to keep alive its razor-thin playoff hopes. The Falcons snapped a six-game skid with a 23-17 win at Jacksonville last week, but they’ve lost three straight at home since moving to 5-0 on Oct. 11.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Panthers -7. O/U: 47.5
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (14-0): Carolina owns the league’s No. 3 ground game, but as opponents have geared up to stop it, Newton has made them pay. The MVP front-runner has tossed five touchdown passes in three of the last five games, recording 18 TDs and only one interception over that span. The Panthers have been equally flexible on defense, ranking fifth against the pass and sixth versus the run, and after giving up 406 total yards against the Giants, they look to return to the dominant form that saw them hold Atlanta to 230 with four turnovers two weeks ago.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (7-7): Atlanta’s once-dominant offense showed a flicker of life against the Jaguars, committing only one turnover after piling up 12 giveaways in its previous four games. Matt Ryan (3,951 yards, 18 TDs, 15 INTs) threw an interception for a fifth consecutive contest as the ground game again sputtered, gaining only 83 yards – its third straight game in which it failed to hit triple digits. The defense pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter and limited Jacksonville to 72 rushing yards, nearly halving Carolina’s total (142) from the previous week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Carolina WR Ted Ginn Jr. has made two touchdown receptions in each of his last three contests after no games with multiple TD catches in his previous eight NFL seasons.
2. The Panthers lead the league in takeaways (35), interceptions (22) and fumble recoveries (13), and have recorded at least one takeaway in nine straight games - with at least two in seven of those contests.
3. Atlanta WR Julio Jones leads the NFL in catches (118) and the NFC in receiving yards (1,544) but was limited to seven receptions for 88 yards with no touchdowns in the first meeting.
PREDICTION: Panthers 27, Falcons 20