The Falcons have won just two games all season, but will look to win their second straight when they take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 11.
To help us preview Sunday’s matchup, we caught up with Tim Weaver, the managing editor for Panthers Wire. Here’s four questions behind enemy lines ahead of this weekend’s NFC South battle in Carolina.
The Panthers have lost two of three games after winning four straight when Kyle Allen took over at QB. What’s gone wrong?
PW: Allen has thrown some bad passes, but the main reason they have been losing lately is their run defense. Since defensive tackle Kawann Short went on injured reserve in Week 3, it’s been steadily getting worse. Last week, they let Aaron Jones run all over them. He scored three rushing touchdowns, and the Packers averaged six yards per carry. I don’t know what the answer is, but Ron Rivera has to figure something out here.
Cam Newton is reportedly open to a trade. Do you see the team moving on from him, and do you believe Kyle Allen can be a franchise QB?
PW: While I can understand why Newton might want a fresh start and a change of scenery, I would be very surprised if the Panthers actually do wind up trading him. He has one year left on his contract. At around $21 million, if he can get healthy that would be a bargain for an above-average QB these days. Allen is not a franchise QB and is unlikely to become one. He’s a good backup, and they should keep him around, though.
Christian McCaffrey has been one of the most dominant players in the NFL this year. How is he doing it despite defenses game-planning to stop him?
PW: So far only the Buccaneers were really able to contain him — they have the best run defense in the league this year. Everyone else has failed to stop him. McCaffrey is extremely elusive and tough to tackle in space, but he doesn’t get enough credit for his power. He’s broken a lot of tackles this year, as well. He can keep it up as long as the Panthers offensive line continues to block for the run as well as it has.
What is one area Carolina’s defense is vulnerable that the Falcons could potentially expose on Sunday?
PW: Running the ball down their throat is probably the best idea. Carolina has one of the top pass rushes in the league this year and they play tight coverage on the back end for the most part. However, three Panthers cornerbacks are on the injury report this week, so they might be a little short-handed at that position. They should consider testing those corners deep with Julio Jones.
Score?
PW: It’s tough to guess what Falcons team we’re going to see. If it’s the same one that suffocated the Saints last week, then we’ll have a game. If it’s the team that lost six games in a row before that, then it’ll be an easy win for the Panthers. I’ll guess home-field advantage will be enough for Carolina. Panthers 24, Falcons 21
