Panthers vs. Falcons Total Prediction
NFC South rivals the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons will meet on Sunday in what could be a high-scoring game. Will Cam Newton and Matt Ryan produced enough points to push the score over the total?
Game Snapshot
263 Carolina Panthers at 264 Atlanta Falcons
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 16
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Falcons are 5.5-point favorites to beat the Panthers. The total, meanwhile, sits at 43 points. As of this writing, 63% of the public betting tickets are on the Panthers to cover the point spread.
Carolina Panthers
Panthers coach Ron Rivera would still like Christian McCaffrey to rush 15-20 times per game while catching “6-10 passes.” McCaffrey touched the ball “just” 16 times in Week 1. Speaking Thursday, OC Norv Turner characterized it was a “week-to-week deal.” McCaffrey himself said his day would have been bigger had Cam Newton not kept it on so many read options. That, of course, is going to be a common occurrence. Even if he’s getting the ball “just” 16-18 times per game, McCaffrey is going to be in the RB1 mix.
Atlanta Falcons
Devonta Freeman (knee) did not practice Thursday. It is the second missed session in a row after he sat out Wednesday. Coach Dan Quinn said the team will have a better idea of Freeman’s availability on Friday, but right now it looks like there is a real chance Tevin Coleman gets the start against the Panthers. Coleman averaged 19.5 carries in two games without Freeman last season.
NFL Betting Trends
Carolina
The under is 4-1 in the Panthers’ last five games played in the month of September.
Atlanta
The under is 6-1 in the Falcons’ last seven home games and is 13-3 in their last 16 games overall.
Prediction
Some believe that this game will be a track meet and with the Falcons losing both Keanu Neal and Deion Jones to injury, perhaps it will. That said, the Falcons looked lost offensively a week ago in Philly. Steve Sarkisian’s play-calling remains a huge problem and Matt Ryan played poorly in that loss to the Eagles as well. The Panthers, despite winning the game, also generated just 4.8 yards per play a week ago versus the Cowboys. With neither offense firing on all cylinders to start the season, I like the under on Sunday.
NFL Week 2 Prediction: Panthers/Falcons under 44.5