The Atlanta Falcons will pay the NFC South division rival Carolina Panthers a visit on Sunday in hopes of staying alive as the postseason nears. The Panthers are on a four-game skid while the Falcons notched their first victory in as many contests in a 27-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.
Falcons vs. Panthers 2014 picks and predictions: NFC South rivals to battle in even matchup
Games between division rivals are often hard to predict. That’s perhaps one of the primary reasons the oddsmakers see this one as a toss up.
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Both teams are in desperation mode with just three wins, but with no team in the division above .500, the playoffs remain in sight. The Panthers may have more at stake heading into their bye week as a win is sorely necessary in order to turn things around. Quarterback Cam Newton had a dismal outing in a 45-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 6. The third-year signal caller was 25 of 40 through the air and totaled 306 yards, yet threw three interceptions and was sacked nine times.
Atlanta’s porous defense may be just what Newton needs to turn his game around. The Falcons are ranked 31st in the league in total defense, giving up 404.8 yards per game and 6.0 yards per play. The Panthers have struggled to get stops in their own regard to the tune of 376.8 yards per game. Given the circumstances and how both teams are effectively in playoff mode, this could be a high-scoring affair.
That’s probably why the good folks over at OddsShark see the over/under at 47 points. The spread is even, and Atlanta is 4-5 against the spread this year, 1-4 on the road, while Carolina checks in at 5-5.
As far as the picks go, the Yahoo Sports’ two-man panel has the Falcons coming out on top. ESPN’s crew sees it going Atlanta’s way by a margin of 9-4 among its gurus. CBS is scoring it 6-2 in favor of the Dirty Birds.
Finally, SB Nation’s team bucks the trend by going the Panthers’ way with a 5-3 margin:
| Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | PFT Commenter | Matt Ufford | OddShark Computer | |
| ATL vs. CAR | CAR | CAR | ATL | CAR | CAR | ATL | CAR | ATL |
The fun lies in finding out who’s right. This one can go either way.
★★★
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