Panthers-Falcons Preview Capsule
CAROLINA (5-7) at ATLANTA (3-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE - Falcons by 1 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Panthers 6-6, Falcons 4-8
SERIES RECORD - Falcons lead 31-18
LAST MEETING - Falcons beat Panthers 29-3, Nov. 17
LAST WEEK - Redskins beat Panthers 29-21; Saints beat Falcons 26-18
AP PRO32 RANKING - Panthers No. 20, Falcons No. 28
PANTHERS OFFENSE - OVERALL (21), RUSH (12), PASS (21).
PANTHERS DEFENSE - OVERALL (22), RUSH (29), PASS (14).
FALCONS OFFENSE - OVERALL (11), RUSH (30), PASS (2).
FALCONS DEFENSE - OVERALL (23), RUSH (17), PASS (26).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Panthers will be playing their first game with interim coach Perry Fewell, He had been secondary coach and was chosen to lead team remainder of season after Ron Rivera, franchise's winningest coach, was fired. ... Falcons have won four straight in series. Falcons coach Dan Quinn is 7-2 in series. ... Panthers are 29-31 since loss to Denver in Super Bowl 50. Falcons are 21-25 since loss to Patriots in Super Bowl 51. ... Panthers' four-game losing streak includes home loss to Falcons. ... Panthers have allowed league-worst 22 rushing touchdowns. Falcons RBs Devonta Freeman and Brian Hill have combined for one rushing TD. ... Carolina allowed 248 yards rushing, three TDs in last week's loss to Redskins, who ranked 28th in rushing. Falcons rank 30th in rushing. ... Panthers QB Kyle Allen 5-5 as starter. Allen had career-high 31 completions in Week 11 loss to Falcons. ... RB Christian McCaffrey aiming for fourth straight game against Falcons with at least 11 catches, 135 scrimmage yards. ... WR D.J. Moore needs 20 yards receiving for first career 1,000-yard season. Moore ranks fourth in NFL with 980 yards. ... WR Curtis Samuel leads Panthers with five TD catches. ... Falcons QB Matt Ryan has averaged 349.5 yards passing and has 10 TD passes in past four home starts against Carolina. ... Ryan needs 34 yards passing to become 10th NFL player with 50,000. ... WR Julio Jones needs 50 yards receiving for sixth straight 1,000-yard season. Jones has at least 1,400 yards in five straight seasons. ... Falcons are inducting former WR Roddy White into team's Ring of Honor. ... This is fifth straight NFC South matchup for Falcons, who are 2-2 in division. ... Fantasy tip: Temptation may be to start Freeman against Carolina's woeful rushing defense, especially after its inability to stop Washington last week. But Freeman averaged only 3 yards per carry against Saints after missing two weeks with sprained foot. Instead, smart move is McCaffrey, whose dual-threat skills as a rusher and receiver should produce big numbers. McCaffrey had 11 catches for 121 yards and ran for 70 yards in first meeting.
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