TNF: Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers Betting Preview
Atlanta Is Fighting For NFC South Lead
This week’s edition of Thursday Night Football features a battle between two teams from the NFL’s worst division, the NFC South, but could have a huge impact on the NFC playoff race. Shockingly, the Atlanta Falcons are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the division while the Carolina Panthers (amid coaching staff and quarterback turmoil) are in last place, but only by two games.
This Falcons vs Panthers betting preview dives into what could be a close game with the Falcons (-160 on the moneyline) favored by just three points even with the two teams heading in seemingly opposite directions. Interestingly, Atlanta opened as just a 1.5 point favorite so there has been late movement in favor of the Falcons. The total is set at 44 points.
Atlanta is coming off a brutal 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in which the Falcons blew a late lead. But, Atlanta did play pretty well before going silent on offense down the stretch. Things weren’t much better for Carolina, which got blown out 42-21 by the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicated.
The Panthers were down 35-0 at halftime and benched starting quarterback P.J. Walker for Baker Mayfield, who did show some life in the second half.
For those looking for a TNF matchup preview between former top picks in Marcus Mariota and Mayfield, though, look elsewhere because Walker will remain Carolina’s starter.
Game of the Week
Game Information: Atlanta Falcons (4-5) at Carolina Panthers (2-7)
Date, Time & Streaming:
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Panthers’ Offense Can Beat Up Atlanta
Carolina is in a very bad place as a team right now, between trading away Christian McCaffrey and Robby Anderson in recent weeks along with a plethora of other personnel changes. As a result, at least some of the turmoil can be blamed for the Panthers having the third-fewest yards of any NFL Team.
On a side note: The Panthers did have their best offensive game of the season against this Falcons team two weeks ago in a 37-34 overtime loss. Carolina put up nearly 500 yards of total offense in that game with P.J. Walker throwing for 317 yards and D’Onta Foreman rushing for 118 yards and three scores. Check out the Scores here.
Sure, that’s just one game but the Falcons’ defense have given up the second-most yards in the NFL. Atlanta is particularly bad against the pass (they’ve allowed the most yards through the air) which is a critical point to remember in this Falcons vs Panthers betting preview because Carolina’s offense has struggled so much.
What Will Falcons Get From Mariota?
The Falcons certainly can thank their rushing game which is led by the trio of rookie Tyler Allgeier, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Caleb Huntley – for their relatively decent place in the NFL standings and for their legitimate chance at a division title.
The issue with Atlanta’s offense is that the Falcons have one of the NFL’s worst passing attacks as Marcus Mariota has been wildly inconsistent all season. He has ran for 304 yards but has thrown for over 150 yards just once in Atlanta’s past six games.
Between Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Olamide Zaccheus, the Falcons do have some legitimate weapons on the outside at Mariota’s disposal yet he just hasn’t been able to utilize them much. If Atlanta can get something through the air on Thursday, then it’ll be easier for the Falcons to hold off a Panthers team with nothing to lose.
Unfortunately for Atlanta, Mariota just hasn’t shown that he can do that enough this season to inspire much confidence.
Game Could be Decided on The Ground
As mentioned above, the Falcons do most of their damage on the ground between their running back tandem and Mariota. Any Falcons vs Panthers betting preview needs to talk about how the Panthers are in a uniquely bad position to try and limit Atlanta’s rushing attack.
Carolina has given up the second-most rushing attempts and fifth-worst rushing yards (and rushing touchdowns). Granted, some of those numbers might be inflated by opposing teams often having late-game leads against the Panthers but they still show how vulnerable Carolina is in that area.
Look for Atlanta to attack Carolina early and often on the ground, even if Mariota is able to move the ball through the air.
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