Falcons -4 vs. Panthers
ATLANTA, GA (The Spread) – The NFC South will be decided at 4:25PM ET on CBS when the Atlanta Falcons host the Carolina Panthers in a winner-take-all game.
Things looked rough for the Falcons heading into the bye, as they were just 2-6. However, Atlanta has turned things around in the second half of the season and are benefited by a weak division. They have won four of their last seven, with all three losses coming by 7 points or less. Last week they went to New Orleans and picked up a 30-14 win to put themselves in position to win the division this weekend. Atlanta is 7-8 against the spread this year and they have covered in three of their last four games.
Things looked bad for Carolina just a month ago, as they are 3-8-1. But, the Panthers have won three straight, including a 17-13 win over Cleveland last week, to get to 6-8-1 on the season and take first place in the NFC South. The Panthers are 7-8 against the spread this season, but just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games. They have also hit the under in five of their last eight.
Currently, the oddsmakers from Bovada.lv have the Falcons as the favorite at home in this game, as they are getting odds of -4 points against the Panthers. The over/under total for the game has been set at 47.5 points (View Matchup). Carolina has won three of its last four against Atlanta, but the Falcons won 19-17 at Carolina on Nov. 16. The Panthers have covered the spread in four of the last five between these two and they have hit the under in three straight meetings.
In the Atlanta win in Carolina a few weeks back, the key to the game was turnovers, as Carolina had two turnovers that helped the Falcons get a short field and secure the points that made the difference in the game. Neither offense was stellar as Matt Ryan led Atlanta with 268 passing yards while Cam Newton had 292 yards passing, but had the two interceptions. Ryan has been a big reason for Atlanta’s recent run, as he has thrown for over 300 yards in four straight games and has 9 touchdowns to three interceptions in this current four-game stretch.
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