While the New Orleans Saints are leading the NFC South, the game on Sunday between the second and third place teams in the division will still have a huge impact on the NFC playoff picture. With the Panthers at 5-3 and the Falcons a half-game behind them, this game may determine who will be the wild card team in the NFC if the Saints continue their dominance in one of the most competitive divisions in football. While there will be tons of eyes on how the Panthers offense will perform without Kelvin Benjamin on the field, there are plenty of questions left to answer. As always, here’s our five-part preview of the game.

Five Players to Watch

#17 Devin Funchess, Wide Receiver

When Kelvin Benjamin was traded, the first question many had was who will step up and replace his value for the offense; Devin Funchess is currently expected to be that player. This means that Funchess will line up across from Desmond Trufant this week and will be tasked with making plays against one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL. Funchess is a player to watch due to his prowess as a short-to-intermediate route runner and his ability to find the soft spots in zone coverage, both of which will be integral for the Panthers offensive success against Dan Quinn’s defense.

#1 Cam Newton, Quarterback

Kelvin Benjamin was Newton’s number one receiver as well as one of his real friends in the locker room; how Newton performs without Benjamin’s presence will be something to watch moving forward. If Newton can approach the offense in a similar manner to how he did in 2015 when Benjamin went down, we could see a resurgence of this offense. Newton’s mental state has always heavily affected his play and it will be imperative for him to find a way to move forward and command this offense.

#75 Matt Kalil and #60 Daryl Williams, Offensive Tackles

Don’t look now but Williams has been one of the better offensive tackles in the NFL over the past few weeks; even if he has been getting help from Trai Turner, Williams has truly been a rock in pass protection. If he can take his success as a pass blocker and translate it to run blocking as well, then the rushing attack may see a rise in production moving forward. What makes him a must-watch this week is the fact that Mike Remmers, his predecessor at right tackle, showed very poorly against Vic Beasley and the Falcons fast pass rush, as such, how Williams performs against this speed-based pass rush will give us insight into what to expect against top-level defenses moving forward.

This also means that Matt Kalil is a must-watch because he has been very hit or miss this season and the Falcons will provide his stiffest test to date. If Kalil can find his groove against this pass rush then the Panthers offense could be ready for a breakout game; if not, we could see a repeat of Vic Beasley and company constantly pressuring Newton.

#26 Daryl Worley, Cornerback

With Bradberry likely lining up across from Julio Jones it will be Worley’s responsibility to take on Mohammad Sanu, who has been a phenomenal complimentary receiver for years and understands how to maximize his impact. Worley will have a huge impact on this game due to the Panthers aggressive defense and the Falcons’ penchant for airing the ball out. If Worley can stay with his man, use his length to make plays on the ball and above all else not give the Falcons an open shot down field then the Panthers will be much more likely to win.

Four Matchups to Watch

James Bradberry vs Julio Jones

Everyone is ready for this matchup. Bradberry’s first bout against Jones didn’t go so well, but at least part of that was due to a toe injury that happened on the first play and was bad enough that he only played the rest of that drive. Their second matchup was much more even and I dare say Bradberry may have come out on top. Jones has been one of the NFL’s best receivers for years and has been a measuring stick for Panthers defensive backs with only Norman and Bradberry seeing any real success against him. This matchup will be all-important due to the fact that if Jones wins it the Panthers simply don’t have another answer for him. Therefore the Panthers will need Bradberry to be on top of his game and contain one of the games best receivers.

Shaq Thompson vs Devonta Freeman

Even though Freeman sustained a shoulder injury, he is still a scary running back and Shaq Thompson will have his hands full keeping Freeman in front of him and keeping him from breaking off big runs. The Falcons have seen a good amount of success rushing around the edges with Freeman, Thompson will need to showcase his agility and overall speed in order to keep Freeman from spreading the Panthers defense thin. If Thompson wins this matchup, the Panthers rushing defense will be in a great place which has been integral to their success as an overall defense.

Grady Jarrett vs Trai Turner

Like the Panthers, the Falcons’ defensive strength starts with their defensive line that includes Dontari Poe and Grady Jarrett. Turner will be tasked with holding Jarrett at bay but more importantly, he will be tasked with opening up rushing lanes against this run-stuffing beast. How Turner deals with Jarrett will have a rippling effect across the line; if he can win the matchup then the rest of the offensive line will be in a better position to win their matchups and the Falcons will be forced to bring blitzes and leave other areas of the field exposed in order to pressure Newton.

Curtis Samuel vs Kaelin Clay

Which of these receivers will end up being the Panthers deep threat? This week will be the first chance either will get to make an impact as a vertical threat and watching who receives more snaps and who is actually asked to run vertical routes will give us fans significantly more insight into the Panthers plans for the offense moving forward.

Three Reasons the Panthers will win

They spread the field

Offenses have been successful against the Falcons defense by attacking the edges and forcing them to play sideline to sideline. The Patriots, in particular, saw a good amount of success flooding zones along the edges and using pitches and screens to get players in space along the sidelines. The Panthers should utilize Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel in space due to their speed and agility.

Good Safety Play

The best way to keep the Falcons’ offense from taking control of the game is through strong safety play. While the Falcons make a lot of short passes (80% of their passing attempts) their deep shots to Jones are what really impact games. The Patriots neutralized Jones’ downfield presence with high safeties that played smart and conservative; it will be imperative that Mike Adams and Kurt Coleman keep Jones in front of them and understand the speed difference between him and them.

Create Pressure

The easiest way to create turnovers and stop an offense is to constantly get into the backfield. The Falcons possess a strong group of skill players on the offensive side of the ball and one of them will get loose at one point or another; in order to minimize the impact they have on the game it will be up to the defensive line to create pressure, force Matt Ryan to make mistakes, and generally disrupt the backfield as much as possible.

Two Statistics

The Panthers have given up an average of 7.27 yards per completion to the short right(4th highest in the league).

Conversely, the Falcons have targeted the short right zone on 35% of their passing attempts this season. This makes Worley’s job all the more important because he will be tasked with defending this area and will be given the opportunity to create turnovers and make big plays.

The Falcons rank 32nd in the NFL in terms of creating turnovers.

This should provide a needed break for the Panthers offense which has coughed the ball up 14 times over eight games, with nine turnovers coming from three games. Ball security will have a big impact on the game considering the Bears beat Carolina by scoring 14 points on defense.

One Prediction: Cam Newton completes over 70% of his passes

While the Falcons defense has been among the NFL’s best units this season they have allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 68% of their short passes and more importantly both the Bills and Patriots found success by utilizing their running backs in the passing game. Expect Newton to target McCaffrey more than usual this week and expect the offense to focus on horizontal play with occasional shots downfield. Taking all of this into consideration it is likely that Newton sees a higher completion percentage than usual.