CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 22: Chuba Hubbard #30 of the Carolina Panthers reacts after rushing for the game-winning touchdown during overtime of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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No one would blame you if you looked at this weekend’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons and wondered aloud:
Who are these guys?
Because, quite frankly, both of them are difficult to figure out.
Take the Panthers, for example. Carolina is 5-5 in November for the first time since the 2021 season. That’s good. They’ve won all sorts of games in all sorts of ways: Their defense shut a team out and held the Jets to six points; their offense ushered in the emergence of Rico Dowdle, who is a Top 5 running back in the NFL right now; their special teams units are firing on most cylinders, particularly the kicking game with rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. That’s all good, too.
Carolina Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen, left, high-fives punter Sam Martin at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH [email protected]
And yet, the talk of the week has been that their quarterback, Bryce Young, has been struggling, and that their pass game is painfully one-dimensional with rookie sensation Tetairoa McMillan getting most of the targets. The Panthers are coming off a mostly uncontested loss to the New Orleans Saints, too, who were previously 1-8 and were starting a rookie quarterback who had yet to win a game up until his trip to Bank of America Stadium. That’s … well … not as good.
The good news? The only team as vexing as the Panthers in the entire league, perhaps, is their next opponent.
Carolina Panthers tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, center, is taken down by New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis, left, and New Orleans Saints linebacker Isaiah Stalbird at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Nov. 9, 2025. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH [email protected]
The Falcons are 3-6. They have a 30-0 shutout loss to their name — against the Panthers, no less — although their wins have actually aged pretty well. They defeated Minnesota while their starting quarterback JJ McCarthy was healthy. They also beat the Buffalo Bills, a perennial Super Bowl contender. They even hung tough with the NFL’s breakout teams in the New England Patriots (lost by one) and Indianapolis Colts (lost in overtime).
And yet, you look at the Falcons and all they have to offer, and it’s difficult to understand how they’ve lost their last four games. Running back Bijan Robinson is considered one of the best backs — one of the best players, really — in the NFL. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has an 86.8 passer rating and is averaging 225.9 passing yards a game. Receiver Drake London is making a couple of “what-did-I-just-witness” catches every quarter. And their defense ranks among the best in the passing game — which includes the league’s best opponent pass yards per game stat (162.3 yards) and the league’s second-best sack percentage (10.86%). You might hear the names Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. — both rookie outside linebackers from the Carolinas — a few times, if all goes according to the Falcons’ plan.
So, we ask again: What to make of this matchup?
Observer writers Scott Fowler, Mike Kaye and Alex Zietlow are here to do the improbable and predict what will happen at 1 p.m. Sunday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Also, here is important broadcast information and what the sportsbooks are saying.
Carolina’s Rico Dowdle runs the ball against Buffalo cornerback Jordan Hancock in Sunday’s first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Grant Halverson Getty Images
Broadcast information for Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers and Falcons kick off at 1 p.m. in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Fans can catch the game on FOX, with Jason Benetti, Brady Quinn and Sarah Kustok on the call.
Listeners on the radio can follow the game on WRFX The Fox at 99.7 FM, with Anish Shroff, Luke Kuechly and Jim Szoke. Check the Carolina Panthers Radio Network for full listings. The game can also be heard in Spanish at WXNC 97.3 FC / 1060 AM, with Jamie Moreno and Antonio Ramos.
Tetairoa McMillan (4) of the Carolina Panthers is tackled by Quay Walker of the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter in the game at Lambeau Field on Nov. 2, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Patrick McDermott Getty Images
Betting lines that look intriguing
The Panthers, it’s fair to say, did not exactly handle being favored well when they were last week against the New Orleans Saints. They’re back to being underdogs in this one.
The Falcons are favored by 3.5 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook as of Saturday. The over/under points total is 41.5, with the Panthers’ moneyline at +176 and the Falcons’ moneyline at -210.
Also of note: The Panthers are 6-4 against the spread this year, and the Falcons are 4-4-1 against the spread, according to Stat Muse.
Rico Dowdle (5) of the Carolina Panthers runs the ball in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Nov. 2, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Patrick McDermott Getty Images
Here are some other bets you might consider ahead of Sunday’s contest:
- Anytime First Half TD Scorer — Tetairoa McMillan. We’ve written extensively this week how much the Panthers’ rookie receiver gets targeted, particularly early in games, this week. It’s reasonable to assume such a trend will persist. And with the Falcons likely homed in on the run game, Young will likely be asked to throw a bunch. McMillan’s odds for a first-half touchdown: +410.
- Most Passing Yards — Michael Penix Jr. We know the odds aren’t super lucrative, but gosh, this one seems pretty obvious. The Falcons rely on Penix to throw the ball downfield a bunch more than the Panthers rely on Young to do that. Take the -390 odds and run with it.
- Player Rushing Yards — Rico Dowdle. After a rough production outing against the Saints, there is the possibility that the running back out of Carolina bounces back. Still, those over/under totals are pretty high. The line’s set at 86.5 yards; meanwhile Bijan Robinson’s is only at 72.5.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young gives direction to the receivers at the line of scrimmage during action against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 12, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium. JEFF SINER [email protected]
Game predictions: Panthers or Falcons?
All predictors got it wrong last week when they wrote that the Panthers would defeat the Saints. That keeps Scott Fowler in the lead at 6-4, with Alex Zietlow and Mike Kaye stuck at 3-7. Check out this weekend’s prediction below.
Fowler: Panthers 23, Falcons 20. By all rights, the Falcons should win this one. They are the favorite, they are playing at home, they are smarting from that 30-0 loss to Carolina in September, and they have had far better results than the Panthers against most common opponents (Buffalo, New England, etc.) Nevertheless, I’m going to figure on a bounce-back game for Carolina, with the Panthers getting the passing game going just enough for Rico Dowdle to have another 100-yard rushing game.
Kaye: Falcons 27, Panthers 23. Well, here we are. The Panthers and Falcons split this series every year, and Atlanta should be quite motivated to avenge its 30-0 loss in Week 3. Then again, Carolina should be pretty locked in as well. This one is a toss-up. I don’t really feel confident either way. Bryce Young, Dave Canales and the rest of the crew — prove me wrong.
Zietlow: Falcons 19, Panthers 13. The Panthers have done really well bouncing back from games this year. They responded well to the Patriots’ blowout with a come-from-behind win over the Dolphins. They were knocked out by the Bills but got off the canvas a week later against the really talented Green Bay Packers. But as I said earlier this year — and yes, I know the Panthers previously shut out the Falcons — Atlanta poses a pretty difficult matchup for Carolina on paper. I’d look for Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to copy what the Saints did against the run and force Bryce Young to defeat a best-in-the-league pass defense on his own. This might be close, and ugly, but I expect a Falcons win.
Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn makes a face after hearing a call made by a ref against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov. 9, 2025. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH [email protected]
Scott Fowler
The Charlotte Observer
Columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994. He has earned 24 national APSE sportswriting awards and hosted The Observer’s podcast “Carruth,” which Sports Illustrated once named “Podcast of the Year.” Fowler hosts the online series and podcast “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” which features 1-on-1 interviews with NC and SC sports icons. He also writes occasionally about non-sports subjects, such as the 5-part series “9/11/74,” which chronicled the plane crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 in Charlotte in 1974.
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Alex Zietlow
The Charlotte Observer
Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
