Panthers face Falcons in NFC South Clash

by Sharon Thorsland

It’s another NFC South match-up for the Panthers, who are looking to get back on track after last week’s disappointing loss to the Saints. They’re in Atlanta on Sunday to take on the Falcons, who dropped a close one in overtime to the Colts in Berlin last week. It was their fourth straight loss, moving them to just 3-6 on the season.

These teams met back in week three and it was all Panthers, who won it 30-0. But nobody’s looking past the Falcons. They’re loaded with talent on both sides on the ball, and boast the NFL’s number one ranked passing defense, which allows just 162 yards per game. Their pass rush is also much improved thanks the development of rookie edge rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker. The Falcons have 29 sacks on the season; that’s 5th in the NFL. “You know they’ve got young guys that can really fly,” said Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble. “They’re good players all around the board – the defense is good.”

The one area the Falcons aren’t so good at is run defense, they’re allowing over 146 yards per game on the ground, that’s 29th in the league. They’ll face a Panthers rushing attack led by Rico Dowdle, who is managing a quad issue but still leads the NFC with 788 rushing yards. No doubt the Falcons have spent plenty of time studying what the Saints did last week when they shut down the Panthers run game.

The Panthers would love to shut down Atlanta’s run game. The Falcons have a pair of Pro Bowl running backs in Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, who have combined for over 850 yards and eight touchdowns. They run behind a veteran offensive line that’s only allowed 14 sacks on the season, that’s third in the league. Second year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is having some growing pains but has an elite receiver in Drake London, who has 53 catches, six of them touchdowns.

These teams have split the series the past five seasons, and the Panthers know how dangerous the Falcons can be. This is a division game, and the Falcons no doubt have revenge on their mind after their shutout loss in Carolina. “People play a little harder when it’s a division opponent and a rivalry game,” said Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan. “Obviously they’ve got a chip on their shoulder just because of the first time. So, we expect a chippy game – it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”