TEDDY COVERS
Event: (263) Carolina Panthers at (264) Atlanta Falcons
Sport/League: NFL
Date/Time: September 16, 2018 1PM EDT
3% Take Atlanta (#264)
The injury bug was not kind to the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. They lost tight end Greg Olson, a former pro bowler. They lost pro bowl right tackle Darryl Williams and pro bowl linebacker Luke Kuechley as well. Stud LB Thomas Davis is still serving his suspension. Tackles Matt Kalil and Jeremiah Sirles are both on IR. These are NOT minor injuries, especially when considering that their top three tackles are all hurt right now, bad news for Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey.
And frankly, there wasn’t much to like about Carolina’s bumbling eight point win over Dallas in Week 1. McCaffrey didn’t get untracked in the running game. Cam Newton was under constant pressure and he didn’t complete a single pass of 20 yards or longer; nothing but dink and dunk. Carolina’s defense was solid, but the Cowboys lack playmakers. The Falcons don’t!
Dan Quinn has owned Ron Rivera of late, with the Panthers winning four of the last five meetings between these two squads. All of those wins came by a TD or more; three by double digit margins. The Panthers only win during this span was a tight three point non-spread covering victory that was more about Matt Ryan’s interceptions than any other factor.
The Falcons have extra time to prepare, coming off their Thursday Night Week 1 offensive debacle at Philadelphia, and multiple reports had Falcons players staying late, after practice to work on their red zone offensive execution. They’re not dealing with the storm distractions in the Carolinas, like the Panthers have been dealing with all week – Carolina won’t travel to Atlanta until Saturday. And with the Panthers likely to start rookie CB Donte Jackson, don’t be surprised if the Falcons find the end zone repeatedly on Sunday after failing in that regard Week 1. Chalk worth laying! Take the Falcons