Falcons, Panthers Look to Escape NFC South Cellar

The Atlanta Falcons (5-7 SU, 5-7 ATS) and Carolina Panthers (5-7, 5-7) find themselves in a three-way tie with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South basement as they prepare to meet Sunday. All three teams sit four games behind the division-leading and defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers but only one game out of a playoff spot in the conference, making this a huge matchup.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Both of these teams have dropped three of their last four games, but the Panthers are coming off their bye week and fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady during that time. Carolina decided to elevate running backs coach Jeff Nixon to offensive coordinator with hopes of focusing more on the rushing attack, something head coach Matt Rhule believes has been neglected.

Ironically, the Panthers no longer have leading rusher Christian McCaffrey available because he was placed on injured reserve due to an ailing ankle. Carolina seemingly has more potential if the team can figure out a way to get some more vintage Cam Newton down the stretch, and bettors are backing the home team up to -3. They also seem to believe Rhule will get his wish and run the ball more, with the total dropping three points already down to 42.5 in early wagering action at sportsbooks.

Atlanta News & Notes

The Falcons are listed as underdogs at books monitored by Odds Shark for the eighth time in 13 games, and they have gone 2-5 SU and ATS in the first seven. Both games they won SU as dogs came on the road against the New York Giants (17-14 in Week 3) and New Orleans (27-25 in Week 9), so it is certainly possible for them to do it a third time here.

They also won their last road game 21-14 and covered the spread as 1.5-point favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars before falling to the Buccaneers 30-17 as 11-point underdogs last Sunday.

The key for Atlanta is to run the ball better than in the first meeting, when Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson combined for 79 yards on 18 carries. The Falcons led 10-9 at halftime and were outscored 10-3 after the intermission.

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Carolina News & Notes

Rookie running back Chuba Hubbard had the second-best game of his young career at Atlanta in the first meeting, carrying the ball 24 times for 82 yards and scoring Carolina’s lone touchdown in the fourth quarter en route to the 19-13 victory. Hubbard did lose a fumble on his very first carry, but he recovered nicely to help his team earn the victory.

The Panthers covered the spread as 2.5-point road underdogs, but they have lost SU the last four times they have closed as favorites, including their two most recent games.

With Newton still being a more dangerous runner than passer, even at his age, the hope for Rhule is that the continued emergence of Hubbard in place of McCaffrey can help take some pressure off his quarterback. Hubbard has carried the ball only 14 times since then.

How Atlanta Will Cover