Carolina @ Atlanta preview
Georgia Dome
Last Meeting ( Nov 3, 2013 ) Atlanta 10, Carolina 34
The stakes are high for a second straight week for the Carolina Panthers, who travel to Atlanta to wrap up the regular season against the Falcons on Sunday. The Panthers can clinch the NFC South crown and a first-round bye with a win or a New Orleans loss, and they still have an outside shot at the NFC's top seed - though that would require a victory paired with a Seattle loss and a San Francisco win. The Falcons get a second chance to play spoiler after falling short in a 34-24 loss at San Francisco last week.
The Panthers seemed to be destined for a wild card before Cam Newton rallied them for a 17-13 win over New Orleans last week, putting them in the driver's seat for their first division title since 2008. "The work is not done," Carolina safety Mike Mitchell told reporters. "We are in the playoffs, but it's not time to relax. We can make it a lot easier on ourselves and earn some rest and let other teams beat themselves up." Carolina has won the past two meetings following a five-game losing streak against the Falcons and blew out Atlanta 34-10 in Week 9.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: Carolina -6. O/U: 45.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (11-4): Carolina has won 10 of its last 11 games primarily on the strength of a strong run game and a dominant defense. The defense was as tough as ever against the Saints, sacking Drew Brees six times and forcing two turnovers as star linebacker Luke Kuechly racked up 24 tackles. With Newton nursing an ankle injury that might limit his role in the running game, running back DeAngelo Williams (810 yards, 3 TDs) is likely to carry the bulk of the load.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (4-11): Atlanta doesn't have any postseason motivation, but the Falcons would like to send off tight end Tony Gonzalez on a high note as he wraps up what he says will be his final season. Gonzalez has caught a pass in 210 consecutive games - the second-longest streak in NFL history - and already has gone over 800 receiving yards for the 13th time in his career. The passing game has been the one constant for the Falcons - the defense has struggled to stop anyone and the ground game ranks last in the league at 78.1 yards.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Panthers WR Steve Smith and RB Jonathan Stewart are not expected to play because of knee injuries.
2. Falcons QB Matt Ryan is 5-0 with a 107.6 rating in five home games against the Panthers.
3. Carolina TE Greg Olsen has caught a TD pass in his last four games against Atlanta.
PREDICTION: Panthers 24, Falcons 17