Falcons vs. Panthers Prediction
Which inconsistent NFC South team will right the ship today in Charlotte when the Panthers host the Falcons at 1:00 p.m. ET?
Game Info
Who: Falcons (4-3) at Panthers (5-3)
When: 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 5
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Who Oddsmakers Like: Atlanta. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Falcons are now 2.5-point road favorites to beat the Panthers, who opened as 1.5-point favorites themselves. As for the total, the number hit the board at 44 but was bet down a full two points to 42.
Who the Public Likes: Atlanta. As of Sunday morning, 52% of public bettors were backing the Falcons and laying the small amount of points.
Who the Trends Like: The under and the Panthers. Atlanta is just 1-4 against the spread in its last five trips to Charlotte while the home team is 7-2 against the number in the last nine meetings in this series. The underdog si also 5-2 against the spread in the last seven meetings, while the under is 6-1-1 in the last eight and 15-5-2 in then last 22 meetings in Charlotte.
Who We Like: Carolina. I don’t trust either team, honestly, which is what makes this matchup so intriguing. Both teams have flashed signs of their previous brilliance and both teams have shown that they are pretenders. Whoever wins this game doesn’t erase the question marks surrounding them, but they certainly will have something to build on moving forward. The loser might start to trudge towards a 7-9 or 8-8 record.
So who wins? Well, Atlanta’s offense is a shell of its former self now that Kyle Shanahan is calling plays for his 49ers. Steve Sarkisian has proven that he isn’t as deft as Shanahan was in calling plays and scheming receivers open. That has caused Matt Ryan’s stats to drop like a rock and he continues to turn the ball over at a 2015-like clip.
The bottom line for me is that the only consistent unit on either side of this matchup is the Carolina defense, which is holding opponents 264 yards per game (2nd in the NFL) and 17.8 points (4th). So I’ll bet on the Panthers defense winning this game and toss everything else out.
NFL WEEK 9 PREDICTIONS: CAROLINA PANTHERS +3 (Buy the hook)