The Atlanta Falcons (1-6) and Carolina Panthers (3-4) are both coming off a narrow loss in Week 7. They’ll commiserate together on a short week in their Week 8 Thursday Night Football matchup at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff will be at 8:20 p.m. ET. Below, we preview the Falcons-Panthers betting odds and lines and make our NFL picks and predictions.
Falcons at Panthers betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 10:35 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Falcons +130 (bet $100, win $130) | Panthers -152 (bet $152, win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Falcons +3 (-121) | Panthers -3 (+100)
- Over/Under: 48.5 (O: -115, U: -106)
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Falcons at Panthers game notes
- The NFC South rivals met in Atlanta in Week 5, with the Panthers taking a 23-16 victory. The loss led the Falcons to fire head coach Dan Quinn. Interim head coach Raheem Morris is 1-1 in his place.
- The Falcons lost 23-22 at home against the Detroit Lions last week when RB Todd Gurley scored a touchdown with too much time remaining on the clock. Lions QB Matthew Stafford was able to march his team down the field and hit TE T.J. Hockenson for a touchdown to set up PK Matt Prater‘s game-winning extra point.
- The Panthers lost 27-24 on the road against a banged-up New Orleans Saints squad Sunday. The game was tied 24-24 entering the fourth quarter.
- Carolina is 4-3 against the spread while covering by an average of 3.0 points per game; Atlanta is 2-5 ATS and fails to cover by 2.6 PPG. The Falcons are 4-3 against the Over/Under with the Panthers 3-4 against the projected totals.
- Falcons QB Matt Ryan leads the NFL with 2,181 passing yards through 7 games. He has 12 touchdown passes and just 3 interceptions.
- Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey (ankle) hadn’t been activated from the Reserve/Injured list as of the time of publishing and is expected to remain sidelined for at least one more week. RB Mike Davis has 517 yards from scrimmage and 4 total touchdowns through 7 games and 5 starts.
Falcons at Panthers key injuries
Falcons
- WR Julio Jones (hip) questionable
- WR Russell Gage (knee) questionable
- C Alex Mack (knee) questionable
- OT Kaleb McGary (elbow) questionable
- DE Takkarist McKinley (groin) questionable
Panthers
- OT Russell Okung (calf) questionable
- G John Miller (ankle) questionable
- RB Christian McCaffrey (ankle) questionable/IR
Falcons at Panthers: Odds, prediction, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Falcons 26, Panthers 21
Money line (?)
The FALCONS (+130) carry good value into their rematch with the rival Panthers (-152). Carolina will still be without its best player in McCaffrey and the Falcons’ passing game has re-established itself as one of the best in the league.
The injuries to two key Panthers O-linemen also loom large and could help spark a Falcons pass rush with just 10 sacks through 7 games. The Panthers are generating even less pressure with 6 sacks.
Prior to their Week 5 loss to the Panthers, the Falcons had won each of the previous five and eight of the last nine head-to-head meetings.
Against the spread (?)
The value is with the Falcons’ money line, but ATLANTA +3 (-121) should still be backed for extra insurance. The Falcons have twice lost by just a single point.
Over/Under (?)
Lean to the UNDER 48.5 (-106) with three of the last four TNF games falling shy of this mark. The Week 5 meeting between the Falcons and Panthers also saw a total of just 39 points scored.
For as maligned as the Falcons are – especially on defense – their last three opponents have each scored just 23 points.
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Also see:
- 8 takeaways from Falcons’ Week 7 loss to the Lions (Falcons Wire)
- Panthers dip to No. 17 in Week 7 power rankings after another loss (Panthers Wire)
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