Kirk Cousins will take his Atlanta Falcons on the road to visit an NFC South opponent this weekend in the Carolina Panthers. The teams will meet at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET and will air on Fox. Let’s dive in and take a look at this Falcons-Panthers preview and matchup.
Atlanta comes into this game with the mini bye off an exciting prime-time win over Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Thursday night at home. Kirk Cousins was dealing in that game tossing 509 yards passing and delivering the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. Atlanta’s record now sits at 3-2 after Week 5.
The Carolina Panthers have not looked good to open the 2024 season. Bryce Young looked maybe worse in the first two games of the season than he did last year, so the team decided to bench the second-year quarterback. Andy Dalton came in and gave that team the one-game shot in the arm for Week 3 with a win over a Raiders team that let’s face it, might not be much better. Week 4 and 5 were more of the same, with the Panthers getting blown out by the Bears at Soldier Field in Week 5.
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Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers Preview and Predictions
Atlanta Falcons -5.5 (-115)
This one is a simple handicap for me. Carolina isn’t a good team. Andy Dalton has been a bump for the team, but not many quarterbacks would be set up to succeed in this position. The Panthers recently added Shaq Thompson to a host of already injured players on their defense. All four of the Panther losses have come by 10 points or more this season.
The Falcons are clicking as Kirk Cousins gets more comfortable returning from his injury and settles into his new team and new offense. I struggle to see why this line isn’t a touchdown or more, don’t overthink this one and bet against the worst team in the NFL.
Bijan Robinson Over 98.5 Yards Rushing and Receiving
This Panthers defense has been a free space for the opposing team’s running backs. In Week 1 Alvin Kamara went for 83 yards on the ground and added another 27 through the air. JK Dobbins went insane in Week 2 with 131 yards on the ground. Week 3 was the Raiders and we all know that doesn’t count. Week 4 Chase Brown had 92 total yards while Zach Moss added 78 of his win. Last week was D’Andre Swift’s turn racking up 120 yards on them.
Oh my good god Bijan Robinson.
pic.twitter.com/SkW5q9r6B4— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 17, 2023
Like Swift, Robinson’s start to the season hasn’t been the best, but there’s no better get-right spot than against the Panthers. Expect the team to script plays up to get Bijan rolling this week. He should eat like any other capable running back has against this defense.
