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Panthers vs. Falcons TNF Game Preview

Game Reset

Carolina Panthers (3-4) vs. Atlanta Falcons (1-6)
Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, N.C. | Tickets | Coming to the game?
FOX, NFL Network, Amazon | 8:25 pm ET | How To Watch
Injury Report | Depth Chart

History: Panthers vs. Falcons

  • Carolina is 19-32 all-time against Atlanta, with a 12-13 record at home and a 1-2 record in primetime.
  • The Panthers will be looking for their first season sweep of Atlanta since 2013 and just the fourth in the all-time series history.
  • Current Streak: Panthers W1
  • Last matchup: Panthers won 23-16 in Week 5 in Atlanta

Thursday Night Football

  • Carolina is 2-8 all-time on Thursday Night Football, with the last win coming against New Orleans in 2016. Atlanta is 6-6 all-time on Thursday Night Football.
  • This marks the fourth primetime meeting between Atlanta and Carolina and the first since 2004. The Panthers are 1-2 against Atlanta at night.
  • The Panthers will wear black jerseys against the Falcons on Thursday. It's the first time Carolina has worn black against Atlanta at night.

Falcons Reset

Since the teams met in Week 5, there have been some changes in Atlanta. Head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were both fired a day after the Falcons lost to the Panthers.

Interim head coach Raheem Morris won his first game the next week against the Vikings, but fourth-quarter disaster struck again last week when Detroit mounted a game-winning drive in the final minute. Atlanta is 1-6, with three losses of 4 points or fewer.

Wide receiver Julio Jones, who missed Week 5 with a hamstring injury, has since returned to the lineup where he's averaged 8.0 receptions, 117.0 receiving yards and 1.0 touchdowns in the last two games.

Table inside Article
Category Panthers Falcons
Offense
Total Yards/Game 369.1 (16th) 401.0 (6th)
Rushing Yards/Game 105.4 (t-20th) 105.4 (t-20th)
Net Passing Yards/Game 263.7 (11th) 295.6 (3rd)
Sacks Allowed 13 (t-15th) 15 (t-19th)
Third Down Efficiency 46.9 (8th) 44.0 (12th)
Points/Game 23.1 (25th) 26.3 (13th)
Defense
Total Yards/Game 351.1 (13th) 425.9 (31st)
Rushing Yards/Game 124.0 (18th) 92.4 (6th)
Net Passing Yards/Game 227.1 (10th) 333.4 (31st)
Sacks 6 (t-31st) 10 (t-24th)
Third Down Efficiency 56.3 (31st) 40.0 (13th)
Turnover Margin +2 (t-9th) +2 (t-9th)
Points Allowed/Game 24.0 (13th) 29.6 (26th)

Stat Nuggets To Know

Team

  • The Panthers have allowed 9.2 yards per reception, the fewest in the league.
  • Carolina has not given up big plays on first and second down, ranking 13th (5.5) in yards allowed on first down and 10th (5.0) in yards allowed on second down. However, opponents have converted 71.8 percent of 3rd down attempts between 2 and 6 yards (31st) and 100 percent of third-and-1 attempts (t-32nd).
  • Carolina has produced 44 "big plays" (runs of 10-plus yards, throws of 20-plus yards), which ranks 10th in the NFL and is the fifth most through seven weeks in franchise history.
  • Atlanta's run defense currently ranks sixth in the NFL (92.4), but its pass defense is 31st (333.4). Carolina's net passing average of 263.7 ranks 11th but is the third- highest through seven weeks in franchise history.
  • In Weeks 3-6, the Panthers ranked 29th with a red zone touchdown percentage of just 43.8 percent – notably playing all games without running back Christian McCaffrey. Carolina did score TDs on both red zone trips in New Orleans last week.
  • Wide receivers Robby Anderson and DJ Moore lead all NFL receiving duos with 1,207 combined receiving yards. It's the most by any Panthers receiving combo through seven games in franchise history.

Individual

  • Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater ranks fifth in passing yards (1,676) and second in completion percentage (72.2). On third down, Bridgewater is third in passing yards (513) and tied for seventh in completions for first downs (29).
  • Wide receiver Robby Anderson is second with 640 receiving yards and is fifth with 46 receptions. His 46 catches are tied with McCaffrey for the most in a season's first seven games for the Panthers.
  • Wide receiver DJ Moore has 567 receiving yards and is third in the NFL with 18.3 yards per catch. After a 74-yard TD catch last week, Moore has eight career receptions of 50 yards or more, tied with Tampa Bay's Mike Evans for the most since 2018.
  • Wide receiver Curtis Samuel is first in the NFL in third-down conversions with 12 (11 receptions, one rush). He has 175 of his 231 receiving yards on third down.
  • Defensive end Brian Burns has three strip-sacks this season, tying for third in forced fumbles. His three forced fumbles also tie Julius Peppers (2002) for the most in the first seven games by a Panther.
  • Linebacker Shaq Thompson is tied for seventh with 60 tackles.
  • Safety Jeremy Chinn leads all rookies with 56 tackles.
  • Defensive tackle Derrick Brown has six tackles for loss, leading all rookies and tied for ninth in the NFL.

Chasing Milestones in 2020

  • The Panthers need two wins to reach 200 regular season wins. Dating back to 1995, Carolina is 198-208-1 in the regular season.
  • Samuel needs 42 rushing yards to pass Steve Smith (387) for the most by a wide receiver in Panthers' history.
  • Moore needs 18 receiving yards to pass Mark Carrier (2,547) for sixth place in franchise history.
  • Moore needs six receptions to pass Mark Carrier (176) and DeAngelo Williams (178) to move into sixth place in franchise history.
  • Linebacker Shaq Thompson needs 28 tackles to pass James Anderson (432) for seventh place in franchise history.
  • Defensive tackle Derrick Brown needs three tackles for loss to tie Star Lotulelei (9) for the most in one season by a Panthers' rookie defensive lineman. Luke Kuechly (12) has the record for all rookies.

Carolina is 21-35 all-time against Atlanta dating all the way back to 1995.

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