The Falcons have been crushing the Panthers over the last few years, winning eight of the last nine matchups between these teams. In fact, if not for a rare end zone drop by superstar wide receiver Julio Jones, Carolina’s losing streak against Atlanta would likely be nine in a row.
There’s reason to be hopeful about this weekend’s matchup, though. For one thing, the Falcons are 0-4 to start the season and are reeling from injuries at a few important positions. Also, the Panthers’ defense is much tougher than most people were expecting going into this season. Matt Ryan says he’s impressed by their speed and ability to limit explosive plays. Here’s what he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about this young defensive unit.
“Looking at it, last week, they keep things in front of them. They do a good job of trying to limit explosive plays. I think they’re up there in terms of statistics in terms of limiting offenses’ explosive plays. . . They’ve been very good about that, and they’re fast, they’re athletic. That’s the one thing I see when you watch the film is that they have really good speed at all three levels of their defense.”
The biggest surprise has been the team’s play at cornerback, which was supposed to be their Achilles’ heel. Donte Jackson and Rasul Douglas have been starting outside and have done an excellent job in coverage and limiting yards after the catch.
One area this defense has struggled in is the red zone. Opponents have scored touchdowns on almost 77% of their trips inside the 20 – only five teams are doing worse going into Week 5. If defensive coordinator Phil Snow can clean that up, this should at least be a close game.
[lawrence-related id=629667]
[vertical-gallery id=629623]