Less than two weeks after these two teams produced one of the most dramatic of finishes of the current NFL season, the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers face off at Bank America Stadium this week on Thursday Night Football.
Heading into Week 10 of the regular season, the Falcons are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first in the NFC South after losing 20-17 against the Los Angeles Chargers, while Carolina got pummelled 42-21 by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Match preview
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Losing to Atlanta at the end of October seemed to knock the stuffing out of Carolina this past weekend, as interim head coach Steve Wilks saw his players come out flat in the opening half, trailing 35-0, eventually falling to the Bengals.
That was the second successive game in which the Panthers had allowed over 400 total yards to their opponents, as they sit bottom of the NFC South with a record of 2-7.
As a result, the front office made some more changes to the sidelines, firing cornerbacks coach Evan Cooper and defensive line coach Paul Pasqualoni after the Panthers conceded 223 yards through the air versus Cincy and 241 on the ground.
In their nine games played so far this year, Carolina have failed to move the ball efficiently on offence, sitting 29th in the league regarding total yards per game (289.9), while they have a completion percentage of 57.5, the fifth-lowest to date.
Carolina have turned the ball over 12 times this season, while only managing to produce eight takeaways, tied for the third-fewest in the NFL.
The Panthers have conceded 49 points combined in the opening half of their last two games while scoring only 10, as they have allowed the third-most points in the NFC (228).
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A week after lady luck smiled on them at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a 37-34 overtime triumph over the Panthers, the Falcons failed to keep it going on Sunday at home to LA, as a field goal from Cameron Dicker gave the Chargers the victory, dropping Atlanta to 4-5 on the season.
That was the seventh time this year in which an Atlanta game had been decided by a single score, with Arthur Smith's team coming up short in four of those contests.
Their running attack kept them in their game on Sunday just like it has all season, as four different ball carriers combined to rush for 201 yards, with the Dirty Birds currently ranked fourth in the NFL regarding rushing yards per game (162.9).
While they have not had any trouble moving the ball on the ground, the Falcons are not much of an aerial threat, as their longest pass play versus the Chargers went for 24 yards.
Before the Monday Night game, Atlanta had scored the third-most points in the NFC (217) while also sitting in a tie for the fourth-most points allowed in their conference (225).
They have just one victory in their four road games played this season, scoring under 20 points in their previous two away defeats versus the Cincinnati Bengals (35-17) and Tampa (21-15).
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Team News
After putting up 317 yards passing in a losing effort against the Falcons, the Panthers' PJ Walker struggled against Cincinnati, tossing a pair of interceptions and throwing for only nine yards on three completions, while Baker Mayfield was 14/20 for 155 yards and a couple of scores.
D'Onta Foreman had 26 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns in their defeat to the Falcons, CJ Henderson had an interception in overtime of that game, but Eddy Pineiro could not convert as he missed the field goal that could have given them the win, while also missing a long convert late in the fourth quarter after DJ Moore found the end zone.
Juston Burris is dealing with a concussion, Donte Jackson will be questionable due to a sore ankle, Rashard Higgins has an illness and Chuba Hubbard might miss another game with an ankle injury.
Tyler Allgeier had 10 carries for 99 yards in the Falcons' home defeat to the Chargers, as Marcus Mariota went 12/23 for 129 yards, while Kyle Pitts was their leading receiver with a mere two catches for 27 yards.
Pitts, Allgeier and Damiere Byrd each had a TD grab in their previous encounter against the Panthers this year, pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie is among the rookie leaders for QB pressures with 19 and Younghoe Koo was 3/3 on field goals versus the Panthers, booting the winner in overtime.
AJ Terrell missed their game on Sunday because of a hamstring strain, Elijah Wilkinson was also out with a sore knee, Feleipe Franks has a sore calf, Matt Hennessy continues to recover from a bad knee and Erik Harris has a foot injury.
Head To Head
Their matchup earlier this season was easily the most captivating as the Falcons lead the overall series 35-20, winning the last two contests against the Panthers.
The last victory for Carolina against Atlanta occurred on Halloween last year, when Zane Gonzalez kicked four field goals, including a 57-yarder, helping the Panthers to a 19-13 triumph.
We say: Carolina Panthers 28-30 Atlanta Falcons
Throughout 2022 the Panthers have rarely been able to shut down opposing offences, allowing an average of 4.5 rushing yards per carry this season, something the Falcons should be able to take advantage of on Thursday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
