Panthers at Falcons stream, odds, pick and prediction
Bet on the Panthers
The choice of which team to bet on largely boils down to whether or not you believe Ryan is healthy. If he’s ready to put in a top-notch performance through the air then the Panthers secondary is going to be in trouble.
Remember, Ron Rivera is going to start at least one rookie defensive back. Second round pick Dante Jackson held up nicely against the Cowboys, but Dallas doesn’t have a single receiver who would crack the Falcons’ two-deep. Jackson and his teammates will face a much different test on Sunday dealing with Julio Jones and company.
We don’t believe Ryan is ready for a big game though. The extra rest from Thursday night might give his arm enough time to recover, but we are (literally) betting there’s more bothering him than simple fatigue. Jones will make some plays, but look for the Panthers defensive front to cause real problems for Ryan and company.
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On the other side of the ball, the loss of Keanu Neal due to injury might really show up for the Falcons. Atlanta gets a break with Greg Olsen missing this game due to injury, but Newton has a lot of potential weapons at wide receiver to play with. Carolina’s chances of hitting a big play in this one are pretty high.
We’re feeling bullish about this game. Betting on the Panthers to cover with six points isn’t a huge risk. We’ll go a step further though. Take Carolina to go into Atlanta and pull off the upset. That’s a bold call, but if Ryan plays another game like he did in Philadelphia his team may struggle to keep this one close.