The Atlanta Falcons play their second of six divisional games on Thursday night when they take on the Carolina Panthers. When these two teams last met in Week 5, the Panthers earned their third-straight win, while giving the Falcons their fifth-straight loss.
Three weeks later, Atlanta has a new coach and Carolina has come back down to earth, losing two games in a row. To help us preview this Week 8 matchup, we caught up with our pal Tim Weaver, the managing editor of Panthers Wire for some inside info.
Falcons Wire: The Panthers have cooled off since the last meeting between these two teams. What’s happened and is Carolina still an NFC South contender this season?
Panthers Wire: Short answer is they played some tougher opponents. The Bears have an elite defense and they were able to harass Teddy Bridgewater and contain Mike Davis. The Saints game was very winnable, but their defense just couldn’t get a stop on third down when they needed one.
This is still a surprisingly good team and they have been competitive in every game this year. They aren’t going to win the division but they can compete for that extra wild card spot.
Is there any chance RB Christian McCaffrey plays on Thursday night?
PW: McCaffrey has been designated to return from IR but he is not going to be in the lineup, tonight. He has been out since Week 3 with a high ankle sprain, so exercising caution is the right idea. They need to be at full strength offensively to have a prayer against the Chiefs in Week 9, which is when he will likely return.
How is Panthers first-year head coach Matt Rhule handling the team’s recent struggles?
PW: Rhule has been pretty impressive as far as getting the most out of what he has. This roster has a lot of holes and is extremely inexperienced compared to the rest of the division. Especially considering there was no preseason and the fact they’ve been ravaged by injuries, this team is way ahead of where we expected them to be at this point. Rhule will get these resilient Panthers back on track and they’ll have a shot to finish 8-8.
Name one Panthers player who has stood out that Falcons fans may not be familiar with?
PW: Jeremy Chinn is the new kid to watch. He was just named the Defensive Rookie of the Month for October. They call Chinn a linebacker but he’s lined up all over the field and made stops consistently. He has tremendous range and is getting better every week in coverage. They got a special one, here.
How has QB Teddy Bridgewater played in the Panthers’ recent losses?
PW: Bridgewater was pretty bad against Chicago. Their pressure seemed to rattle him right from the start and he never really got into a rhythm. He wound up throwing a couple of picks and it was easily his worst game of the year. Teddy bounced back against New Orleans, though. He had a perfect passer rating at halftime and looked as good as he has for Carolina so far. Overall, Bridgewater has been solid but needs to be more aggressive. If he does the Panthers can average 30 points per game, easily.
Who wins on Thursday/final score prediction?
PW: This Panthers offense has looked very sharp against everyone but Tampa and Chicago, who have two of the best defenses in the league. I respect them to score a lot of points on their opponents who don’t have an elite D though and this is one of them. Carolina 33, Atlanta 24
Thanks to Tim Weaver, and make sure to check out his Behind Enemy Lines interview with Falcons Wire.
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