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Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons
Georgia Dome – Atlanta, GA
Sunday October 16 – 1:00 PM EST on FOX
Moneyline: Carolina Panthers +170, Atlanta Falcons -195
Spread (ATS): Atlanta -3.5
Over/Under: 50.5
Odds courtesy of BetOnline.com
Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton continues to impress but the Carolina Panthers continue to lose. Their latest scare victim was the New Orleans Saints who had to score a late touchdown to avoid the upset. Coming up just short every week can wear on a team so this is going to be a tough spot on the road against a desperate Atlanta Falcons team.
Before the season started this game would have probably been set at +10 or greater for Carolina. Atlanta’s struggles aside the main reason the Panthers are in every game every week is the play of rookie QB Cam Newton. Through the air and on the ground (5 rushing TDs) he has quickly become one of the leagues most dynamic playmakers. Most importantly he knows how to use that cannon of an arm and will definitely challenge a Falcons defense that is 28th in the league.
If the Panthers want to start winning the defense needs to step up, only once had they held an opponent below 23 points – and that was Jacksonville so it might not really account. Last year they got beat by Atlanta twice with identical 31-10 scores. In fact if you look closer at the yardage the games were nearly the same as well. A lot has changed for Carolina since then but is it enough for a victory
Atlanta Falcons
Things are getting pretty desperate in Hotlanta. After making a significant move at the draft to get receiver Julio Jones their play has indicated that they were clearly not just one player away. This team is sputtering and needs to get going in a hurry to maintain contact with New Orleans at the top of the NFC South. This week is an opportunity they have to take advantage of so the pressure is on.
With the addition of Jones the Falcons offense was supposed to be very good this year as it appeared all that was missing was a deep threat to stretch the field. That has not transpired as expected and now Jones is out this weekend with bad hammy. The really surprising part is how they have struggled to run the ball. They are averaging less than 100 yards per game on the ground and because they have been behind so much they don’t the same balance they have had in the past.
As stated earlier the Falcons are desperate this week. A loss to the Panthers would be totally unacceptable, as well as really put them behind the eight ball with 4 losses already. With their brutal record and high expectations they have also been killing backers wallets. Meanwhile the Panthers have cashed 4 straight times ATS. I don’t like the Atlanta side but I am not sure I can get behind Carolina right now. They are actually getting respect from the bookmakers now.
ATS Pick: Atlanta -3.5
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Atlanta 35 – Carolina 28
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