Falcons-Panthers preview: Will Atlanta overlook Carolina in a crucial Week 6 matchup?

Through the first five weeks of the season, the Atlanta Falcons are 3-2 overall, 3-0 vs. NFC opponents, 2-0 in divisional games and in first place sitting atop of the NFC South. Atlanta shocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in their thrilling Thursday Night Football home victory to kick off Week 5 last week. However, they cannot afford to mess around with the Carolina Panthers this week.

On the latest episode of The Blogging Dirty Podcast, I touched on why it is so important for the Falcons to take care of business on the road in Charlotte this week. Atlanta should be thanking its lucky stars that the Falcons are not playing the lowly Panthers in the 1:00 p.m. ET window, as this game will be starting after 4:00 p.m. ET. The last thing the Falcons want to do is sleepwalk here.

Although Carolina looks a lot better offensively with Andy Dalton playing quarterback, the Panthers are still one of the worst teams in football. Getting to 3-0 in the division would be massive for the Falcons' chances of winning the NFC South and having a home playoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for once. Improving to 4-0 in conference play would be a huge help regarding tiebreakers.

Here are some of the biggest points I touched on during the most recent episode of the podcast.

Kyle Pitts came through in the clutch for Atlanta Falcons in Week 5

Fact: Stats are for losers. I loved every word of that quote from new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris. He went to bat for his guy in the frustrating Kyle Pitts, a man who has quickly fallen out of favor with Dirty Bird Nation. After going with a reception in Week 4's home win over the New Orleans Saints, Pitts went out and had his best game of the season. Kirk Cousins looked his way a ton last Thursday.

What has bothered Falcons fans and fantasy football players is his production comes and goes in waves. He was a brilliant pass catcher at Florida and during his rookie season with the Falcons. However, bad quarterback play the two previous years limited his effectiveness on the football field. While he is trying to be a more willing blocker, that is not something that will ever be a plus for him.

It may have only been one game, but I appreciate Pitts putting in the work and taking advantage of being open more on passing downs. More importantly, as long as he remains a good teammate and continues to put in the work, the people who really matter within the Falcons are going to continue to believe in him. This is a long season, and you never really know when someone will need to step up.

Pitts did not entirely silence the haters, but he did show us all what he is truly capable of last week.

Kirk Cousins has found his groove in his first year with Atlanta Falcons

Not going to lie, I am still riding high on how well Kirk Cousins played on Thursday Night Football. Over the course of five weeks, he went from looking like he wasn't anything close to fully healthy vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers into being a fringe NFL MVP candidate carving up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. For him to break Matt Ryan's single-game passing record on Matt Ryan night was amazing.

The thing that I kept going back to on the podcast was this was only Cousins' fifth start for the Falcons and in this offense. He didn't play at all during the preseason and he was on a different team last year. While I also fully understand that the game quickly devolved into a barn burner with very little defense before our very eyes, I found it to be one where Cousins and the team gains confidence.

More importantly, this game was huge for first-time play-caller Zac Robinson. While he was hand-picked by Raheem Morris to come over with him from the Los Angeles Rams, there was a ton of pressure on Robinson becoming the next sturdy branch stemming off the Sean McVay coaching tree. He is starting to figure it out, as is Cousins, as is the entire Falcons offense. Things are going so well!

While the defense will keep Atlanta in games, it will be the play of Cousins that gets us to the playoffs.

How Atlanta Falcons fans should be feeling after their first five games

I have to be totally honest here. This is the most optimistic I have been about this franchise since at least 2017, and possibly since the Super Bowl season. Right now, I would be foolish to think this team will win the NFC for the third time in its history, but I am not ruling out playing in its fifth conference title bout to date. The Week 5 win has me buzzing, mostly because this team plays complementary.

It has been a while since the Falcons have been able to win consistently in a multitude of ways. For years, the team was so heavily offense that it couldn't stop a nosebleed when the game was on the line and the defense needed to make a play. Throughout most of the Arthur Smith era, the Falcons had to win with ball control and great defense because of the many limitations it had a quarterback.

Heading into Week 6, I find this team to be one of the easiest Falcons teams to root for in recent memory. They play for each other and don't seem to be afraid when the clock is inside a minute to midnight. Long gone are the days of this team existing to rip defeat away from the jaws of victory. I know it has only been five games, but the culture starting to change in Flowery Branch for the better.

This looks and feels like a playoff team, one that could potentially win a game or to in the postseason.

Will Atlanta Falcons overlook Carolina Panthers ahead of divisional game?

I don't have a really great answer here other than I hope the Falcons don't overlook the Panthers on Sunday. To me, I think there is enough focus in the building that will prevent the Falcons from overlooking Carolina. The fact the Falcons got a mini bye heading into this short drive up I-85 is a huge plus. It will allow the team time to celebrate, rest, recover and get ready for a division rival.

And that right there is the biggest reason why Atlanta shouldn't overlook Carolina. We know how the NFC South works. Very rarely does anyone go winless in NFC South play. Conversely, how often do you see a team in this division go 6-0 over its three most hated rivals? What I am getting at is the opportunity to get to 3-0 in the division might sound more appealing to Atlanta than even being 4-2.

There are two other factors massively in the Falcons' favor, other than having more good players than the Panthers. The first it is it being a 4:25 p.m. ET kick. Atlanta is not going to fall victim to sleepwalking into the game based on when it is being played. The second is not as obvious. Atlanta lost a very winnable game in embarrassing fashion last year in Charlotte. Many players still remember.

While anybody has the ability to overlook anyone at any given time, this doesn't feel like a trap game.