What a difference three weeks makes. The last time the Carolina Panthers faced the Atlanta Falcons, they went into the matchup as 5.5-point favorites playing at home. A lot has happened since then, including a stunning 29-3 defeat against Atlanta that exposed the Panthers as paper tigers rather than anything resembling true contenders.
Things haven’t gotten any better in the interim. Despite a valiant effort, the Panthers came up just short against the Saints on the road, then they blew a 14-point lead against Washington. The oddsmakers have taken notice of the slide. According to BetMGM, the Panthers are 2.5-point underdogs this time around in Atlanta.
It’s hard to argue with. The Falcons have absolutely dominated this division rivalry in recent years, winning seven of the last eight matchups. Their only loss to Carolina came by just three points and included an extremely rare drop in the end zone by Julio Jones.
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