The Panthers have not had much success against the Falcons in recent years, losing six of the last seven matchups. However, Atlanta has fallen on hard times this season and is already out of the playoff race.

To learn more about what’s going on, we spoke with Matt Urben, managing editor of Falcons Wire.

Panthers Wire: The Falcons come into this week at 2-7. What went wrong to get them in this spot?

Falcons Wire: The Falcons were supposed to be an offensive juggernaut and outscore people. Not only has the offense underachieved, the defense has played significantly worse than anyone anticipated. Injuries have hurt, but the team hadn’t played a complete game until last week’s win over the Saints.

PW: Atlanta held New Orleans to just nine points last week. Can you explain what changes they made on defense with the coaching staff?

FW: Head coach Dan Quinn relinquished defensive play-calling duties to linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich and former wide receivers coach Raheem Morris. Ulbrich now calls plays on first and second downs, while Morris calls the plays on third downs and in two-minute situations. It wasn’t much of a schematic shift, but there clearly was better communication and the players were where they were supposed to be. This resulted in the Falcons harassing Saints QB Drew Brees for most of the day. The team nearly doubled its season sack total in Week 10.

PW: How much are the Falcons going to miss Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman? Who needs to step up?

FW: Hooper leads all tight ends in receptions, so he is certainly a big loss. Meanwhile, Freeman has yet to get going this season as the team has been at or near the bottom and rushing yards per game all season. Still, with Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones and Matt Ryan the Falcons should be OK.

PW: What grade would you give Matt Ryan for his season so far?

FW: I would give Ryan a solid B. He hasn’t been great, especially for the first few games when the Falcons got into early deficits. He has been near the top of the league in passing yards per game and touchdown passes, though, showing he really hasn’t been the problem. Ryan needs to cut down on the turnovers, but he is not the reason his team is 2-7.

PW: The Panthers are 5.5-point favorites. What do the Falcons need to do to get an upset?

FW: The only way the Falcons have a chance is if their defense comes out as engaged as it was last week and doesn’t let off the gas. The team will have some trouble slowing down Christian McCaffrey, but if Atlanta can contain Kyle Allen, it has a shot to pull off the upset. The Falcons can’t risk falling behind and becoming too one-dimensional, as they have been all season.

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