Tag: Carolina Panthers

Experts picking Panthers over Falcons for Week 11 matchup

The Panthers haven’t had a lot of success against the Falcons in recent years. This week, the experts are expecting that to change, though.

The Panthers haven’t had a lot of success against the Falcons in recent years. This week, the experts are expecting that to change, though.

Here’s a review of who they’re picking for Sunday’s NFC South matchup.

ESPN: Panthers

Louis Riddick hasn’t made a pick yet, but everyone else on ESPN’s panel is picking the Panthers to win.

CBS Sports: Panthers

Seven out of eight experts at CBS are also going with Carolina. John Breech is the only holdout for Atlanta.

SB Nation: Panthers

More of the same, here. Everyone at SB Nation except Toby the Good Dog is picking the Panthers.

NFL.com: Falcons

Gregg Rosenthal at NFL.com is predicting a close game. He has the Falcons coming out on top, 22-20.

USA Today: Panthers

All of the national writers at USA Today are going with Carolina.

Who are we to argue?

Things could get interesting depending on which Falcons defense shows up. If it’s the one that held the Saints to just nine points in a win last week, then we’ll likely see a competitive game. However, if it’s the same defense we’ve seen most of the season, Atlanta won’t stand a chance. Home field advantage and the absences of Austin Hooper and Devonta Freeman should be more than enough to give the Panthers the edge they need.

Carolina 24, Atlanta 21.

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Behind Enemy Lines with Panthers Wire: Kyle Allen or Cam Newton?

The Panthers have lost two of their last three games since winning four straight when Kyle Allen took over at QB. What’s gone wrong over the past few weeks?

The Falcons have won just two games all season, but will look to win their second straight when they take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 11.

To help us preview Sunday’s matchup, we caught up with Tim Weaver, the managing editor for Panthers Wire. Here’s four questions behind enemy lines ahead of this weekend’s NFC South battle in Carolina.

The Panthers have lost two of three games after winning four straight when Kyle Allen took over at QB. What’s gone wrong?

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

PW: Allen has thrown some bad passes, but the main reason they have been losing lately is their run defense. Since defensive tackle Kawann Short went on injured reserve in Week 3, it’s been steadily getting worse. Last week, they let Aaron Jones run all over them. He scored three rushing touchdowns, and the Packers averaged six yards per carry. I don’t know what the answer is, but Ron Rivera has to figure something out here.

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Brian Burns has the fastest edge pass rush get off in the NFL this year

The Panthers have two of the fastest pass rushers in the NFL this year when it comes to average time to get across the line of scrimmage.

The Panthers have two of the fastest pass rushers in the NFL this year when it comes to average time to get across the line of scrimmage.

According to Next Gen Stats, nobody is doing it quicker than first-round pick Brian Burns, who is averaging 0.72 seconds. That’s .03 seconds better than anyone else. Carolina’s veteran linebacker Bruce Irvin is also among the league leaders – he comes in at No. 5 with a 0.76-second average.

Brian Burns
via Next Gen Stats

That initial burst off the line of scrimmage has helped Burns get to 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits.

However, things have been slowing down for Burns the last month or so of the season. Starting in Week 4 when Bruce Irvin made his debut in the lineup, Burns saw his playing time begin to dwindle. After playing 44, 39 and 56 snaps from Weeks 1-3, he saw his defensive snap count drop to just 38 against the Texans.

Burns compounded the issue in that game by slamming his fist into the field after a partially blocked punt (he was frustrated he didn’t block it out right). He has since undergone surgery and hasn’t made as much of an impact while wearing protection on his wrist.

Things bottomed out last week when Burns only saw 11 snaps against the Packers.

While it’s good the Panthers have a plethora of quality pass rushers like Irvin and Mario Addison, their success shouldn’t come at the cost of playing time for guys like Burns, who represent the future of the defense.

Ron Rivera needs to put his first-round pick on the field more if he’s serious about staying in the playoff race and sticking around in 2020.

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Falcons Week 11 injury report: Safety Kemal Ishmael ruled out

Safety Kemal Ishmael is still recovering from a concussion and has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Head coach Dan Quinn said corner Desmond Trufant will return, however, giving Atlanta’s secondary some much-needed help.

The Falcons are without two of their offensive starters as they head into their Week 11 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. Both running back Devonta Freeman and tight end Austin Hooper were ruled out for Sunday’s contest after missing the entire week of practice.

Safety Kemal Ishmael is still recovering from a concussion and has been ruled out for the game as well. Head coach Dan Quinn said corner Desmond Trufant will return, however, giving Atlanta’s secondary some much-needed help.

Check out the rest of the team’s injury report from Friday’s practice below.

Player Injury Wed. Thur. Fri. Status
QB Matt Ryan Ankle DNP LP LP –
RB Devonta Freeman Foot DNP DNP DNP Out
TE Austin Hooper Knee DNP DNP DNP Out
G Wes Schweitzer Head DNP LP FP –
S Kemal Ishmael Head DNP DNP DNP Out
TE Luke Stocker Knee LP FP FP –
DE John Cominsky Ankle LP LP LP –
S Sharrod Neasman Hamstring LP FP FP –
CB Desmond Trufant Toe LP LP LP –
P Ryan Allen Ankle LP LP LP –
DB Damontae Kazee Shoulder FP FP FP –

Make sure to come back prior to the game’s 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday for the Falcons inactives list.

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Panthers injury updates: Ross Cockrell out, Donte Jackson questionable vs. Falcons

The Panthers will be down at least one man at cornerback in Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

The Panthers will be down at least one man at cornerback in Sunday’s game against the Falcons. James Bradberry is going to play, but Ross Cockrell has been ruled out this week with a quad injury. Donte Jackson is listed as questionable, per Max Henson.

On offense, it looks like Carolina will miss left tackle Dennis Daley, who is listed as doubtful. However, they’ll be getting second-round pick Greg Little back. He has finally cleared the concussion protocol. Coach Ron Rivera told reporters today he could play as many as 60 snaps despite missing the last five games.

If Jackson is ruled out, it could but serious strain on the rest of the Panthers’ secondary outside of Bradberry’s matchup with Julio Jones. Calvin Ridley was a problem last season and is in prime position for a larger target share with Austin Hooper out for a month.

Everyone else is healthy and should be ready to go.

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Dan Quinn rules out Freeman and Hooper, says Trufant will play vs. Panthers

In an unsurprising move, the Falcons ruled out both running back Devonta Freeman and tight end Austin Hooper for Sunday’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

In an unsurprising move, the Falcons ruled out both running back Devonta Freeman and tight end Austin Hooper for Sunday’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

Some good news for Atlanta, though, is that the team will get cornerback Desmond Trufant back after he missed the previous few games with a foot injury.

The Falcons are currently 5.5-point underdogs for their Week 11 NFC South showdown in Carolina.

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4 players to watch in Falcons’ Week 11 matchup with the Panthers

After an unexpected defensive showcase against the Saints in Week 10 in which Atlanta sacked Drew Brees six times, fans will be interested to see if it was a one-time thing or a trend going forward.

The Falcons have a real shot this Sunday against a Carolina Panthers team that’s struggled somewhat over the past three weeks.

After an unexpected defensive showcase against the Saints in Week 10 — in which Atlanta sacked Drew Brees six times — fans will be interested to see if that was a one-time thing or a trend going forward.

Here are four players to watch during the Falcons’ NFC South showdown with the Panthers in Week 11.

TE Luke Stocker

Ben Ludeman-USA TODAY Sports

Stocker isn’t the must-add fantasy prospect that running back Brian Hill is in place of the injured Devonta Freeman, although he will definitely get some targets on Sunday with Austin Hooper out. Tight ends coach Mike Mularkey formally coached Stocker in Tennessee before he signed with the Falcons in the offseason. Jaeden Graham will get some looks as well, but don’t sleep on Stocker, who has six catches for 34 yards this season.

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Panthers vs. Falcons: 4 matchups to watch Week 11

The Panthers will be hosting the Falcons this week in their third NFC South game of the season. 

The Panthers will be hosting the Falcons this week in their third NFC South game of the year. A win should keep them afloat in a crowded wild card race, but a loss might effectively sink any realistic hope of making the postseason.

Here are four key matchups we will be watching on Sunday.

Panthers’ backup corners vs. Calvin Ridley

Calvin Ridley
(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

James Bradberry missed last week’s game against the Packers, but he’s expected to play and should be able to hold his own against Julio Jones. However, Donte Jackson and Ross Cockrell might both be ruled out, which would leave Carolina rather thin at cornerback. That means Cole Luke and Corn Elder could both see significant playing time. With tight end Austin Hooper out, it will leave Atlanta’s options on offense very limited if they can shut down Ridley. In his two meetings with the Panthers last season, Ridley totaled 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He only needed seven catches to get those numbers.

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Bruce Irvin’s bad take on Baker Mayfield’s reaction to Myles Garrett incident

Panthers linebacker Bruce Irvin took to Twitter and said Mayfield was dry snitching by calling out his teammate.

At the end of Thursday night’s game between the Browns and Steelers, Myles Garrett made a shocking attack on Mason Rudolph. After a late hit, he stripped Rudolph’s helmet and then clubbed him over the head with it. A substantial fine and a lengthy suspension are certainly coming down the pipe for Garrett.

After the game, Baker Mayfield didn’t mince words. He knew what Garrett did was inexcusable and said as much.

Seems sensible enough, right?

Apparently not everyone agrees. Panthers linebacker Bruce Irvin took to Twitter and said Mayfield was dry snitching by calling out his teammate.

Irvin elaborated with another tweet, saying he’s all for being a leader but he says he’d never out his teammates on national TV ever.

Bad take.

Garrett outed himself on TV, so Mayfield couldn’t dry snitch even if he tried. Stating the obvious doesn’t mean Mayfield betrayed Garrett (who admitted he was wrong) in any way.

Having your teammate’s back does not require you to take their side when they have done something wrong. Period.

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Falcons Week 11 injury report: Matt Ryan returns to practice Thursday

Both Devonta Freeman and Austin Hooper are likely to miss this weekend’s matchup with the Panthers at the very least. The team got some good news though, as quarterback Matt Ryan returned to the practice field on Thursday.

The Falcons ended their six-game losing streak in Week 10, but lost two offensive starters in the process.

Both Devonta Freeman and Austin Hooper are likely to miss this weekend’s matchup with the Panthers at the very least. The team got some good news though, as quarterback Matt Ryan returned to the practice field on Thursday.

Ryan was absent on Wednesday, but that was likely a precautionary measure while he recovers from an ankle injury. Check out Atlanta’s complete injury report from Thursday’s practice below.

Player Injury Wed. Thur. Fri.
QB Matt Ryan Ankle DNP LP
RB Devonta Freeman Foot DNP DNP
TE Austin Hooper Knee DNP DNP
G Wes Schweitzer Head DNP LP
S Kemal Ishmael Head DNP DNP
TE Luke Stocker Knee LP FP
DE John Cominsky Ankle LP LP
S Sharrod Neasman Hamstring LP FP
CB Desmond Trufant Toe LP LP
P Ryan Allen Ankle LP LP
DB Damontae Kazee Shoulder FP FP

Check back after Friday’s practice for more Falcons injury updates.

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