Last Updated on December 29, 2010 10:25 pm by Anthony Rome
Panthers vs. Falcons Preview
Atlanta, GA (AP) – The Atlanta Falcons can clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs this weekend. They could also fall as low as the No. 5 seed.
The Falcons will try to secure the top spot and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs Sunday when they host Carolina in likely the final game for Panthers coach John Fox.
According to latest NFL odds, oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Falcons 14.5-point spread favorites for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. Current NFL Public Betting Information shows that 75% of more than 1,360 bets for this game have been placed on the Falcons –14.5.
Atlanta (12-3) needs a win or a loss by New Orleans against Tampa Bay to clinch the NFC South title for the first time since 2004. A victory would also earn the Falcons the No. 1 seed in the conference, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
While Atlanta is guaranteed a spot in the postseason, a defeat and a Saints win would drop the Falcons to the No. 5 seed and a playoff game on the road.
They already missed a chance to lock up the No. 1 seed after falling 17-14 to New Orleans on Monday night, ending an eight-game winning streak.
“We’ll put this one behind us as quick as possible,” coach Mike Smith said. “I think there’s probably 15 teams that would want to trade with us, so I like where we’re at. We didn’t get the outcome. I’m disappointed but not discouraged.”
Working on a short week, Atlanta looks to bounce back after a rare poor performance by its offensive stars. The Falcons were held to a season-low 215 yards after Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner all struggled.
Ryan completed 15 of 29 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown, while White – the NFL’s second-leading receiver with 1,327 yards – had season lows of three catches and 43 yards.
Turner, the league’s fifth-leading rusher with 1,304 yards, ran for 48 and averaged 2.8 per carry. He averaged 104.6 yards and 4.1 per carry the previous five weeks.
Turner will look to bounce back against an opponent he’s dominated. Turner ran for 112 yards and a season-high three touchdowns in a 31-10 win over Carolina on Dec. 12, and he’s averaged 111.3 yards while scoring eight TDs in his last four games against the Panthers.
“I can only hope, and I believe, that we will take the adversity and this bump in the road and allow it to make us strong and more tight knit as a team,” linebacker Coy Wire told Atlanta’s official website. “Every guy on this team will take it and use it as motivation to propel us further than we would have if we won tonight.”
While the Falcons had hoped to have wrapped up the division at this point, they have a very favorable matchup heading into this game. Carolina owns the worst record in the NFL at 2-13 and has lost its seven road games by a combined score of 180-98.
Atlanta will be more mindful of Carolina’s rushing game after the Panthers ran for 212 yards in the last meeting, the most allowed by the Falcons this season. Jonathan Stewart had 133 yards, but he did not practice Wednesday because of a foot injury.
While Atlanta is focusing on the No. 1 playoff seed, Carolina is guaranteed the No. 1 pick in April’s draft. It is coming off another embarrassing performance in a 27-3 loss at Pittsburgh on Dec. 23.
It was the fifth time this season the Panthers’ league-worst offense was held to fewer than 10 points, while the 119 yards were the fewest since totaling a franchise-low 113 against Buffalo in 1995.
It’s the first time Carolina will have the No. 1 pick since before its inaugural season in 1995.
The Panthers’ draft position puts Jimmy Clausen’s role for next season in question. Clausen was the 16th overall pick in the 2010 draft, but he’s struggled most of the year and is 1-8 as a starter. He completed 10 of 23 passes for 52 yards and one interception against the Steelers.
This game will likely be the last for Fox after owner Jerry Richardson denied him a contract extension. Fox is the franchise’s winningest coach, going 78-73 including playoffs
“I’m not really in a reflective mood at this stage,” Fox said, “but I’ll be able to walk out with my head high and be able to look in the mirror.”
His job probably isn’t the only one on the line this weekend.
“Unfortunately for us it didn’t happen this year,” linebacker Thomas Davis said. “We didn’t get a lot of wins and we’re sitting with the No. 1 pick in the draft right now. So the personnel department, they have a lot of decisions they have to make. That’s the nature of this business.”
Carolina has lost its last two visits to Atlanta and is 4-11 there all-time.
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