Panthers vs. Falcons Free NFL Picks for Week 8 (Archive)
We could find out who is the worst team in the NFC South when the Carolina Panthers travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Atlanta has won two straight to pull a half-game out of the cellar.
The Panthers have plummeted past the Falcons on the basis of a four-game skid that included their starting quarterback getting benched in the most recent game. Let’s see the NFL odds.
Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Sunday, October 31, 2021- 1:00 PM EDT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
We could find out who is the worst team in the NFC South this weekend when the Carolina Panthers travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons on Halloween. After looking like a lock to be the worst in the South early in the season, the Falcons have moved a half-game out of the basement after winning two straight.
The Panthers have plummeted past them on the basis of a four-game losing streak that included their starting quarterback getting benched on Sunday.
Rock Bottom?
The Panthers are struggling at a time when their schedule should be working in their favor. In the last three weeks, the Panthers have lost to the 2-5 Eagles and 2-5 Giants, as well as a Vikings team that, like the Falcons, has reached .500 after a slow start. Take that into consideration when you will look up the picks for this matchup.
Carolina has lost in just about every way a team can drop a game, blowing leads in the fourth quarter, dropping a game in overtime to Minnesota, and, at the Giants on Sunday, just not even being competitive on offense. The Panthers certainly miss star running back Christian McCaffrey, who was placed on injured reserve a few weeks ago. Without his dual-threat, running, and receiving, quarterback Sam Darnold has appeared lost.
After a promising start to the season, Darnold has thrown seven interceptions in the last four weeks and gotten sacked 15 times. After throwing for 300 yards three straight games, he’s combined for 495 in the last three, and, after completing more than two-thirds of his passes in the first four games, he’s hit on just 33 of his last 66.
Returning to the New York Metro Area to face the Giants in his old home stadium from his Jets days, Darnold had his worst outing yet on Sunday. He had an intentional grounding penalty in his own end zone that resulted in a safety and threw an interception near his own goal line. After the Panthers had managed just three points in three quarters against the lowly Giants, coach Matt Rhule benched Darnold in the fourth quarter, in place of reserve PJ Walker.
The move came four days after Rhule gave Darnold a vote of confidence amidst rumors that the Panthers were candidates to trade for Deshaun Watson. Walker didn’t exactly seize the job, completing just three of 14 pass attempts. Rhule said after the game that Darnold would be the starter again on Sunday, but clearly, his leash has gotten significantly shorter.
Injuries Put Damper on Win Streak
The Falcons looked doomed for a rough season after losing their first two games of the year by a combined 49 points. Atlanta has turned things around, however, playing four straight games decided by one score since then and winning three of them.
Atlanta beat the Jets by a touchdown in London, then, after a bye week, scored 20 straight to come back and beat the Dolphins, winning on a late-game scoring drive engineered by Matt Ryan. The veteran quarterback finished with 336 yards in the game, and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts had a breakout day, getting 163 receiving yards.
On defense, things look a little more troubling. The Falcons are facing the prospect of being down their top three quarterbacks for the Panthers’ game. A.J. Terrell and Fabian Moreau both missed the win over the Dolphins. Terrell is in the concussion protocol, and Moreau has a neck injury. Avery Johnson also has a sore hamstring.
Safety Erik Harris left the Miami game after hurting his shoulder, yet another blow to the undermanned secondary. Atlanta is reportedly looking to sign someone off another team’s practice squad to help fill the holes.
The Pick
The Panthers clearly hope that the brief benching will light a fire under Darnold, but things could easily go the other way. His confidence is clearly damaged, and anything short of a return by McCaffrey, which isn’t coming this week, will be insufficient. For your NFL picks, look for Ryan to light things up and get a big win over the reeling youngster.
NFL Pick: Falcons -2.5 (-120) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
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