Atlanta vs. Carolina ATL -6, 46.5)
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Atlanta vs. Carolina | Sunday, October 13, 2024
After delivering jaw-dropping heroics on Thursday Night Football last week, Kirk Cousins is now treated to the easiest matchup in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers' defense. No team is applying less pressure on the quarterback this year, with Carolina’s 13.1% pressure rate ranking dead last. Funnily enough, the next worst pressure rate in the NFL comes from the Atlanta Falcons, so perhaps we should expect another high-scoring affair.
The Panthers rank among the worst teams in the NFL in almost all of the important offensive statistics leaderboards, but you have to remember that this is largely because of the dismal 13 points scored across the first two weeks of the season when Bryce Young was in charge. Ever since then, Andy Dalton has put up 36 points on the Raiders, and 24 points on the Panthers, before landing just 10 on a very talented Chicago Bears defense. It was messy last week, but we can forgive Dalton for that, given how good the Bears are, and I think it is genuinely fair to expect another good offensive outing from Carolina this week.
The weak point of the Atlanta defense is their run-stuffing, having conceded the 29th-most yards per game on the ground this year, with 148.4. Chuba Hubbard is not one of the most exciting running back names in the league, but it cannot be ignored how effective he has been as a rusher this year. In the three games that Dalton has been running the Panthers' offense, Hubbard has collected 315 yards and two touchdowns, and he is averaging 5.8 yards per carry on the season. He should be able to have some success against this weak Atlanta run defense, which should free up some space for Dalton to utilize the Panthers' talented pass catchers.
Diontae Johnson will likely have a tough matchup against A.J. Terrell, but it is one that he should still fancy his chances in, given he is one of the best route runners in the league. With him drawing the attention of Atlanta’s best cornerback, rookie Xavier Legette should also be looking for a big game. He was quiet last week and not helped by suffering an injury, but he did enjoy somewhat of a mini-breakout the week before, in the team’s first game without Adam Thielen. When you factor in that Atlanta also cannot generate any pressure on the quarterback, both of these wide receivers could be in for a good day.
On the other side of the ball, the Falcons' offense finally started to look like the unstoppable unit that fans were hoping for, given how many top 10 picks the team has used on offensive weapons. Kirk Cousins backed up an insane 504 yards and four touchdowns, managing to get all of his playmakers involved. Drake London proved just how dominant he could be as a big-bodied alpha receiver, going for over 150 yards and a touchdown, and it is now clear that Darnell Mooney is going to be a legitimate part of this passing attack. He brought in nine receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns, and he clearly earned the trust of Cousins. Even Kyle Pitts got involved with 88 yards.
The one person who did remain quite quiet in that game was Bijan Robinson, who was only given 12 carries on the day, which he took for 61 yards. You can expect him, and his running mate Tyler Allgeier, to be much busier this week, going up against a Panthers defense that is giving up 144 yards on the ground per game, ranking 27th in the NFL. The Falcons should easily get a lead in this game and look to their running backs to grind out the win.
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