Panthers vs. Falcons 2015 picks and predictions: Carolina not a unanimous pick to get to 15-0

Midway through the season, it looked as if this late-year tilt in Atlanta between these two talented NFC South teams would be a pivotal one. In fact, it seems like just yesterday that the Panthers and Falcons were both undefeated.

But since starting off the year with five straight wins and six victories in seven games, Atlanta has fallen off a cliff. The Falcons lost six in a row before defeating the Jaguars last week and now find themselves playing out a season that will end when Week 17 does.

Carolina, meanwhile, has spent the year steamrolling opponents. The Panthers, after their exciting win in last week's battle against the Giants, are now 14-0. The question going forward will be how much Ron Rivera elects to play his starters. Will the Panthers keep the foot on the gas and go for 16-0, or would they rather hand their players a couple weeks of rest?

The Panthers are playing for something this week, though. They've already clinched the NFC South title and a first-round bye. But one more victory would give Carolina the NFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. It would also be a nice way to cap off a week in which the team had a league-high 10 players selected to the Pro Bowl.

All the experts at CBS Sports expect the Panthers to keep their undefeated season going. Everyone at ESPN except Seth Wickersham feels the same way.

At SB Nation, Ryan Van Bibber is the only picker who believes the flailing Falcons can pull of the home upset.