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| Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers |
The Carolina Panthers have won three games in a row to get to 4-3; the Atlanta Falcons have lost four of their last five to fall to 2-5.
So two teams heading in different directions meet as Cam Newton and Carolina host Matt Ryan and Atlanta for an NFC South Divisional battle Sunday afternoon (1 pm ET, Fox).
The Panthers are now just a half-game off the pace in the race for the second NFC wild-card spot; the banged-up Falcons, on the other hand, will need to rally if they're going to make the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Carolina has moved to 33/1 on the Super Bowl odds menu at Sportsbook and some fans are starting to think this is possible - the Cats were 66/1 just two weeks ago.
In the early betting Carolina, which has lost five of the last six games in this Southern-fried rivalry, was favored by a touchdown over Atlanta.
The Panthers are 4-3 so far on the season, and 4-3 ATS vs. the number. The Falcons, meanwhile, are 2-5 and 2-5 ATS. Over under bettors have seen Carolina go 4-3 and the Falcons go 5-2 on the totals.
View Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers Odds and Stats.
Sportsbooks such as Sportsbook had the Panthers pegged as -7-point favorites in this matchup. The total, meanwhile, was listed by books like Sportsbook at 44.
This game matches up the No. 5 (Panthers) and the No. 11 (Falcons) teams in the league, according to our current NFL Power Rankings at OddsShark. A 30-18 result in favor of the Panthers is predicted by handicapping models.
The Falcons were a 27-13 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Cardinals. They failed to cover the 2.5-point spread as underdogs, while the total score (40) made winners of UNDER bettors. Matt Ryan's 301-yard performance through the air wasn't enough last time out, as Arizona earned a 27-13 win over Atlanta on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium. Cam Newton threw a pair of TD passes in Carolina's last match, defeating Tampa Bay 31-13 in Week 8 action on Thursday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Carolina's No. 12-ranked offense (24.29 PPG) against a Falcons defense that ranks No. 22 at 26.29 PPG. The Panthers passing attack has averaged 197 yards per game, less than the Falcons give up through the air (249.57 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Falcons feature the league's No. 23-rated road run defense, allowing 123 yards per game. Carolina, meanwhile, ranks No. 5 in rushing offense at home.
A few Falcons at Panthers trends to consider:
Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 6 games
Atlanta is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Carolina is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina's last 6 games
Carolina is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Next up:
Atlanta at Seattle, Sunday, November 10th
Carolina at San Francisco, Sunday, November 10th
