Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview: Game Analysis
Thursday night, the 4-5 Falcons head to Carolina to take on the 2-7 Panthers in an NFC South showdown. Atlanta beat the Panthers at home in Week 8 in a thrilling overtime victory.
Will the Panthers bounce back and get a win this time? Sportsmemo NFL handicapper Eric Pauly shares his thoughts and makes a free, expert Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Week 10 betting pick.
Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Betting Pick – What Are the Best Odds?
Thursday, November 10 | NFL Week 10 Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Carolina Panthers +3 vs Atlanta Falcons |
Total: | o/u 43.5 Points |
Location: | Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC |
Game Time: | 8:15pm ET / 5:15pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
TV: | Prime Video |
Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Analysis
The NFC South is one of the worst divisions in the NFL, and we need to sit through another game between bad teams this Thursday night. However, if Week 8 was any indication, at least this matchup has a chance to be exciting.
Both teams are coming off losses heading into this matchup and neither team looked good last week. In their Week 8 meeting, the Falcons were dealing with injuries to their secondary. It is unclear if A.J. Terrell will play for Atlanta, but if he does, that may make all the difference.
Falcons Falling Off Soon?
If you would have told me the Falcons would have the same record as the Bucs heading into Week 10, I would have thought you were crazy. But, here we are. Not only is Atlanta 4-5, but they have shown signs of being a good football team.
On a per-drive basis, the Falcons are 7th in drive time, 17th in yards, and 11th in points. While this offense has graded well so far this season, I think they are still overrated.
They have allowed 21 sacks so far this year, which is high, but this team has avoided catastrophic turnovers leading to losses. While this unit is better than most anticipated it would be, the Falcons still have a lot to prove on offense.
The Falcons’ defense is another story. They’re dead last in QB pressure rate and they are 31st in sacks on defense. They are 29th in third-down defense and 18th in red zone defense.
On a per-drive basis, Atlanta is 11th in starting field position, 27th in time, 32nd in plays, 31st in yards, and 29th in points. In short, they cannot get off the field and a lot of their defensive drives end in the opponent scoring points.
The Falcons need Terrell back, but if they are missing him, this will be a tough game. Atlanta is overrated offensively and their defense has been getting worse each week.
Can’t Get It Together In Carolina
After showing signs of life against the Buccaneers and the Falcons two weeks ago, the Panthers looked like themselves again against the Bengals last week.
On offense, PJ Walker has been the Panthers’ best QB so far, but Baker played well in the second half against the Bengals. Yes, it was garbage time, so I am not putting too much stock in his play, but it at least raises the question of if he deserves another shot at starting. Regardless, at the time of writing this, Walker is slated to make the start.
They have allowed just 21 sacks but on a per-drive basis, this team is 32nd in time, 32nd in plays, 30th in yards, and 23rd in points. They are last on third down and 17th in the red zone.
The Panthers were expected to have a competitive defense this year, but this unit is not living up to the hype.
On a per-drive basis, the Panthers are 29th in drive time, 14th in plays, 16th in yards, and 20th in points. The Panthers pressure opposing QBs 19.7% of the time, but they only have 14 sacks, which is near the bottom of the NFL. They are 25th in 3rd down defense and 22nd in red zone defense.
Needless to say, this Panthers team is really, really bad. They have issues in all three phases of the game. Walker has been their best bet under center so far, but even in the OT loss to Atlanta, he missed a ton of throws. It is hard to get excited about anything this team is doing.
Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction
The last time these two teams faced off the Panthers was a sharp play that covered the spread and this game went over by a wide margin. However, even with basically the same exact teams facing off on Thursday, I like this game to go under.
PJ Walker was exposed as the QB he actually is against the Bengals and the Falcons could not score the football against the depleted Chargers defense.
People will remember the Week 8 fireworks, but the reality is these teams are not good enough on offense to sustain that level of play. I like this game to be a run fest and the clock will keep ticking. Now that these teams know each other, I think they will lock in on a short week.
Prediction: Under 43.5 points -110
Opening Line Report | NFL Week 10
Don’t just stop at this Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons betting pick! Listen to Teddy Covers and Drew Martin every Monday during the NFL season as they preview opening lines for next week’s games. This past Monday they previewed this Thursday Night Football NFC South clash between the Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons among other games giving their expert betting analysis.
NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Week 10 games, including this Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, and making a brilliant Cleveland Browns vs Los Angeles Chargers betting pick, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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