Fansided

NFL Week 8: Trends which will decide each game

By Russell S. Baxter

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 22: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles makes his way to the locker room prior to the game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on October 22, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 22: Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles makes his way to the locker room prior to the game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on October 22, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 11: Marquis Haynes #98 of the Carolina Panthers sacks Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 11: Marquis Haynes #98 of the Carolina Panthers sacks Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 11, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

A fascinating 2020 NFL season is rapidly nearing the halfway point.

All told, seven of the 14 games slated for this week are divisional encounters, including rematches between the Falcons and Panthers and the Vikings and Packers. A week ago, the Bills and Browns completed season sweeps of the Jets and Bengals, respectively.

Speaking of teams in the AFC North, the top two clubs in the division clash in Baltimore. The Pittsburgh Steelers remain the league’s lone undefeated club after seven weeks of action.

NOTE: All times ET

Thursday, Oct. 29

Atlanta Falcons (1-6) at Carolina Panthers (3-4), 8:20 pm

Falcons: Only the Seattle Seahawks have allowed more total yards and more passing yards in the league than the last-place team in the NFC South. The Falcons have surrendered a NFL-high 19 touchdown passes (25 offensive TDs total) and each of their seven opponents this season has scored at least 23 points.

Once again, rushing the passer is one of the defense’s biggest issues as Atlanta defenders have managed only 10 quarterback traps. The club has forced eight turnovers in seven contests but three of their five interceptions came at the expense of Kirk Cousins in the Week 6 victory at Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Falcons have zero takeaways in four of their seven outings.

Panthers: Back in Week 5, the Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak to the Falcons and also won at Atlanta for the first time since 2014. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for 313 yards and a pair of scores and Carolina played turnover-free football. The veteran signal-caller and Matt Rhule’s club also finished with 124 yards on the ground.

Mike Davis has totaled 517 total yards from scrimmage this season and is tied for the team lead with D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey for the team lead with four touchdowns. And speaking of the 2019 All-Pro, ESPN’s David Newton reports that Rhule is “hopeful” that McCaffrey will be healthy enough to play in this division clash.

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