Panthers Host Struggling Falcons Sunday In Week 9

A matchup in the NFC South will get underway Sunday in Week 9 between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons. This will be a 1 pm ET kickoff with television coverage on Fox from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

It is a surprise to think that the Panthers have the better record of the two teams coming into this matchup. Carolina sits at 4-3 on the season and two games back of New Orleans atop the division. Atlanta on the other hand is back at 2-5, coming off of a bad loss to Arizona this past Sunday. The Falcons are likely out of playoff contention, and have suffered some significant injuries that are coming back to haunt them.

The Panthers won in convincing fashion over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Thursday night, and will have a few extra days to prepare for Matt Ryan and company. Quarterback Cam Newton continues to perform well this season, though his role has been slightly different.

Rather than putting the entire offense on him with the read option that caused him to get hit quite often, the Panthers have switched up their offense, and it has been pretty successful so far. There aren’t very many shots taken down the field, but the passes have been effective mixed in with run combinations.

As for Atlanta, it simply came down to turnovers last week. Ryan threw four interceptions, and it doesn’t matter who you are that will more often than not result in a loss. In this case it did, which drops Atlanta well back of the playoff conversation.

It was good to see Steven Jackson return on Sunday, but had a minimal role and gained just six yards. We look for his role to increase this week as he makes his way back.