Carolina Panthers: Three Ways to Beat the Falcons
By Luke Tucker
On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers (5-4) and Atlanta Falcons (2-7) will meet for the first time this season.
For the first time this season, the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons will collide in an NFC South matchup this weekend. The Week 11 showdown pits two division rivals, who are on opposite ends of the spectrum in 2019. Atlanta, who has won just two games all year, is in the running for a top-five draft pick, while Carolina is fighting to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Last Sunday, the Falcons picked up their second victory of the season, throttling the Saints, 26-9, in New Orleans. After the way Atlanta’s season had been going, the win was a shocking upset. The Falcons collected six sacks on the day, despite having only seven in the previous eight games combined. Even more surprising was the fact that they held a Drew Brees-led offense without a touchdown. Also, the emergence of running back Brian Hill was huge for the Dirty Birds. Carolina must find a way to stop Hill if they want to win on Sunday.
While Atlanta is hot off a big upset, the Panthers return to Charlotte after falling just inches short of taking down the Green Bay Packers in a snowy Lambeau Field. The big issue for Carolina, as it’s been all year, was its inability to stop the run. Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the game in Green Bay was the growth of Kyle Allen. Allen struggled at times against the Packers, but he nearly completed a game-tying drive with less than three minutes to go. Unfortunately, Christian McCaffrey’s last-play run fell just short of the goal line. Carolina should be hungry to get back in the win column, but as with any divisional game, it won’t be easy.