Predicting the Carolina Panthers' next four games after 1-2 start in 2024
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers vs. Falcons - Week 6
- Date: Sunday, October 13
- Time: 4.25 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium
The Carolina Panthers have to stamp their mark in the NFC South at some stage. They were blown away by the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 to continue their poor run of form versus divisional opposition. Head coach Dave Canales will be looking to right this wrong in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium.
Things haven't begun too promisingly for the Falcons through three weeks. They have the same record as the Panthers at 1-2, but their losses came at the hands of two unbeaten teams - the Pittsburgh Steelers and two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Any team coached by Raheem Morris deserves respect. The Falcons are a dangerous team, but the Panthers have done relatively well against them in recent years despite the team's struggles overall.
Keeping Kirk Cousins under duress would be a good place to start. The veteran quarterback is still feeling the effects of the torn Achilles suffered last season. His mobility and hesitancy have been evident over the opening three contests. Generating pressure has been difficult for Ejiro Evero's unit, so it'll be interesting to see how Carolina plans things to stop the signal-caller from having his way in the pocket.
Another positive working in the Panthers' favor is Atlanta's indifferent run defense. They are giving up 150.3 yards per game right now, which won't go unnoticed by Canales with the prospect of second-round rookie Jonathon Brooks back in the lineup by this point.
- Prediction: Win (3-3)
The Panthers could easily get blown away by the Falcons' high-octane passing attack with weapons everywhere you look. They could easily get undone by the mercurial rushing talent of Bijan Robinson. But there's also a chance Canales can game-plan things effectively enough for his team to keep this one close and potentially secure a memorable victory as a result of their efforts.