The Falcons return stateside with an albatross of a four-game losing streak in tow, where they will host the division rival Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. Atlanta hung with Indianapolis in Berlin,
but was ultimately undone by an abysmal passing game and costly special teams errors. Despite the loss, the Falcons are favored by 3.5 points over the Panthers on Sunday, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
When these two foes last met in Week 3, the Panthers blanked the Falcons 30-0 in Charlotte. It was the worst loss Atlanta had suffered in quite some time, which would be topped a month later when they fell 34-10 to a 2-6 Miami team.
Atlanta now sits at 3-6 and is whistling past the graveyard of another lost season. This team has not figured out what it is on offense, and while the Falcons have one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL, the ground game will inexplicably disappear for stretches on end.
Should the Falcons fall to the Panthers, they’ll find themselves at 3-7 and 0-3 in the NFC South. In that event, slim postseason chances will be all but vaporized, and there will likely be changes among the coaching staff. When that would happen is anybody’s guess.
The Panthers are 5-5, and have won three of their last five games — including a 16-13 win over the Packers two weeks ago.
You can bet the Falcons will want to avenge that 30-0 drubbing, but wanting and doing are entirely different things. Nothing Atlanta has shown us over the last few weeks has given any confidence that they can beat anybody, but nevertheless, FanDuel has given them home-field advantage in the odds for Sunday’s tilt.
