The Panthers meet the Falcons on Sunday for the 45th time in their history, and while some people will say it’s one game out of sixteen, quarterback Cam Newton had a different take. “Offseasons are better when we beat Atlanta. We didn’t go it last season, so you can just imagine how my offseason was,” Newton said on Wednesday. “This one counts for two, a divisional opponent.” While this divisional battle will feature many storylines, not the least of which is the trade of wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin at the trade deadline on Tuesday, what the game will ultimately come down to is numbers. Time of possession. Rushing yards. Turnovers. If the Panthers win these battles, they’ll almost certainly come down on the victorious side of the most important number: the scoreboard.
First, a look at how the teams stack up from an offensive perspective:
| Panthers | Statistic | Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| 311 | Yards/Game | 374.4 |
| 4.76 | Yards/Play | 6.18 |
| 97.6 | Rushing Yards/Game | 123.3 |
| 3.38 | Rushing Yards/Play | 4.79 |
| 213.4 | Passing Yards/Game | 251.1 |
| 6.32 | Passing Yards/Play | 7.58 |
| 4.07% | Interception Rate | 2.59% |
| 8.15% | Sacks/Pass Attempt | 5.17% |
| 19.8 | First Downs/Game | 20.9 |
| 7.3 | Punt Return Average | 8.6 |
| 21.1 | Kickoff Return Average | 19.9 |
| 94.44% | Field Goal Percentage | 82.35% |
| 44.83% | Third Down Percentage | 41.03% |
| 25% | Fourth Down Percentage | 33.33% |
| 45.83% | Red Zone Percentage | 48% |
| 54.55% | Goal To Go Percentage | 80% |
| 33:34:00 | Average Time Of Possession | 28:59:00 |
| 18.5 | Points/Game | 21.9 |
And now, defense:
| Panthers | Statistic | Falcons |
|---|---|---|
| 264 | Yards/Game | 320.6 |
| 4.75 | Yards/Play | 5.04 |
| 81.6 | Rushing Yards/Game | 102.1 |
| 3.75 | Rushing Yards/Play | 4.02 |
| 182.4 | Passing Yards/Game | 218.4 |
| 5.98 | Passing Yards/Play | 6.12 |
| 1.23% | Interception Rate | 0.80% |
| 11.07% | Sacks/Pass Attempt | 6.80% |
| 15.4 | First Downs/Game | 20 |
| 5.8 | Punt Return Average | 8.5 |
| 19.3 | Kickoff Return Average | 20.6 |
| 33% | Third Down Percentage | 39.56% |
| 36.36% | Fourth Down Percentage | 77.78% |
| 60% | Red Zone Percentage | 52.63% |
| 70% | Goal To Go Percentage | 50% |
| 17.8 | Points/Game | 21 |
Some things are going to have to change on Sunday.
- Matt Ryan has passed for over 200 yards in 62 straight games, 52 straight on the road. Panthers have kept opponents under 200 net passing yards in five of their eight games this season.
- Falcons are averaging 6.18 yards per play, second most in the NFL. Panthers are holding opponents to 4.75 per play, good enough for fifth best in the league.
- Panthers are second best in the NFL in terms of yards allowed per game (264) while the Falcons rank fifth, averaging 374.4 yards each game.
- Falcons rushed for 140 yards last week against the Jets and have rushed for over 100 yards in six straight games; Panthers have kept opposing teams under 100 yards in five of their seven games.
- Falcons average over 123 yards rushing per game, Panthers allow under 98.
- Center Alex Mack has not allowed a sack or a hit thus far in 2017; Kawann Short has four sacks and 12 QB pressures this season.
Some things will probably stay the same.
- Falcons have allowed only 15 rushes of 10+ yards on the season; Panthers only have 18 such rushes, six of them coming from Cam Newton.
- Panthers have only 23 completions of more than 20 yards; Falcons have only allowed 17 chunk plays in the passing game.
- Panthers are second in the league in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 33:34; Atlanta only keeps the ball for 28:59 each game, having only won the time of possession battle three times this season.
Just For Fun.
- Falcons have not had a 100-yard rusher against the Panthers since Michael Turner did it in 2012.
- Luke Kuechly, who returned last week and led the team in tackles, leads the NFL in tackles since 2012 with 747 despite missing ten games the last three seasons.
- Panthers rank second in the league in third-down quarterback hurries with 23 behind San Francisco; the 49ers have 24.
- Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant is among the least targeted cornerbacks in the league, with only 29 attempts headed his way; only 17 of these passes have been completions.
- Falcons have 18 10-play drives this season, most in the league.
