Cat Crave
FanSided

Carolina Panthers key matchups against Atlanta Falcons

By Danny Jaillet

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons scrambles away from Luke Kuechly #59 of the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons scrambles away from Luke Kuechly #59 of the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 31: Cameron Artis-Payne #34 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 31: Cameron Artis-Payne #34 of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

The  rushing attack vs. the Falcons run defense

If there was one thing the Carolina Panthers did well on Sunday against Dallas, it was run the football. They showed that even though the new wideouts may be the talk of the town, the running game will still pave the way.

It was a collective effort by two players in particular. Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey both showed they could get the job done. Newton carried the rock 13 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. CMC did his part as well, rushing the ball 10 times for 50 yards including a 15-yard scamper that was his longest of the afternoon.

The Falcons defense, although giving up 18 points in total, struggled a bit defending the ground game against the Philadelphia Eagles last Thursday. They gave up 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, including 62 yards and two touchdowns to Jay Ajayi. Deion Jones was placed on injured reserve by the team on Tuesday and Keanu Neal is done for the season, so that certainly works in the Carolina Panthers favor.

It will be interesting to see if the offense can exploit the holes in the Falcons defense for big gains. With a depleted defense at the moment, that should leave the offense plenty of room to run.

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