The Carolina Panthers have no time to wallow in self-pity. They almost pulled off a fightback of epic proportions against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. Still, it eventually ended with an inevitable defeat, piling more pressure on head coach Dave Canales.
Canales and his players need to dig deep. They need to take the positives from their two-game slump to start 2025. They need to display the correct resolve with the team's home opener versus the Atlanta Falcons next in their sights.
Atlanta is coming off a big win over the Minnesota Vikings. They will be buoyed by the result after narrowly coming unstuck in Week 1. The Falcons have momentum, but Carolina swept this NFC South rivalry in 2024 despite winning just five games.
Carolina Panthers vs. Falcons game details
- Date: Sunday, September 21
- Time: 1.00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium
- Channel: FOX
Carolina Panthers vs. Falcons early odds for Week 3
According to the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, the Panthers are 5.5-point underdogs at home to the Falcons in Week 3. This is available at -110, regardless of which side of the points spread takes your fancy (bet $110 to win $100).
Anyone wishing to wager on the Panthers' money line can get odds of +200 right now (bet $100 to win $200). The Falcons are favored to get one over on their division rivals and move to 2-1 through three games at -245 (bet $245 to win $100).
FanDuel Sportsbook has set the over/under at 43.5 points for the contest. This suggests that it won't be the most entertaining affair between the two NFC South clubs, which wasn't the case in Week 18 last season. Again, this is available at -110 in both directions (bet $110 to win $100).
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Carolina Panthers vs. Falcons early prediction for Week 3
Things aren't looking especially promising for the Panthers right now. But in recent years, they've always played the Falcons well. Fans would be disappointed if the same didn't happen again.
Losing Austin Corbett and Robert Hunt from the offensive line interior is a blow. Cade Mays represents a like-for-like replacement at the center position, but Atlanta will target right guard Chandler Zavala heavily in the Pro Bowler's absence.
Ejiro Evero's defense showed some signs of life against the run in Arizona. However, containing Bijan Robinson will be a different challenge entirely after his explosion versus the Vikings.
- Prediction: Panthers win
Bryce Young has proven capable of overcoming Michael Penix Jr. in a battle before. If he starts the game in Week 3 like he finished it in Week 2, the Panthers might cause an upset.
It could easily go the other way, but we'll stay optimistic for now.