Three Fun Facts
- The Panthers have not won in Atlanta since 2014, but are 6-5 in their last 11 meetings. Overall, the Falcons lead the all-time series with Carolina 28-18, including 17-6 in the 404/720 area code.
- The Panthers has gone to the playoffs in all but one season in which they started 2-0; over the past ten seasons, only ten teams that have started 0-2 have made the playoffs. That’s not hard math to do when weighing the importance of Sunday’s matchup with a divisional foe.
- The Panthers allowed only 138 net passing yards in their season opener, good enough for third-best in the NFL; second-best? The Atlanta Falcons, who held the Super Bowl Champion Eagles to only 119 net passing yards. The Panthers had 146 net passing yards on offense in Week 1 – fourth-fewest in the NFL.
Two Intriguing Questions
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Will Devonta Freeman play?
The Falcons use the running game to set up their play-action game and with one half of the two-headed monster ailing and held out of practice this week, if Freeman isn’t able to go, the Falcons will lean on Tevin Coleman to carry the load in the running game.
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Can the Panthers receivers outduel the Falcons’ talented corners?
The Panthers only got 79 yards out of their wide receivers last week against the Cowboys, and Robert Alford and Desmond Trufant certainly present a tough matchup for Devin Funchess, Torrey Smith and Jarius Wright – especially with Damiere Byrd and Curtis Samuel unlikely to play; the Falcons corners limited the Eagles wideouts to even fewer, only 43 yards, last week. The Panthers will need to see more from their wide receivers if they expect to keep up with the Falcons’ high-octane offense.
One Bold Prediction
Remember the 25-30 touches? This is the first week McCaffrey gets there, with 26 touches – 16 on the ground, 10 receptions and a score.
