Who will triumph in the rematch of the craziest game of the season?
Spectacle reloaded? That’s the question on the minds of fans and pundits alike ahead of the Thursday Night Game when the Panthers meet the Falcons. Ten days ago there was the first duel of this season and that was one of the most unusual games of the year.
Both teams looked like sure winners several times and the Panthers in particular kicked two relatively easy field goals to win. In the end, it was up to Falcons kicker Koo to seal the win for Atlanta.
What do we take away from this game going into Thursday’s game? For one, that the Panthers still have Eddy Pineiro at the kicker position, which is unusual after those mistakes. They continue to trust him. Still, we think they will try to take as few field goals as possible.
On the other hand, the last duel showed how close both teams are in terms of performance level. The Falcons are still in a slightly better position overall, but our prediction for Carolina vs. Atlanta is another thriller that will again only be decided in the last quarter.
Kickoff of the Thursday Night Game of NFL Week 10 is at 02:15 on Friday night in Carolina. The game can be watched live on DAZN.
Carolina Panthers – Statistics & current form
After the tragic defeat against the Falcons ten days ago, the Panthers had no chance against the Bengals on Sunday. They conceded a total of five touchdowns in the first half of the game, which meant that the game was already over.
Now we expect a more competitive Panthers team against Atlanta, as they have nothing to lose and will be looking for revenge against Carolina. So it could come to the next dance on the razor’s edge.
Defence between heaven and hell
With the Panthers this season, we don’t know what we’re going to get either. There they were holding Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to a measly three points, only to give up an average of 39.5 points in the next two games.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, are much closer in personalities than the Panthers’ defence. And that can’t be explained by the departure of Christian McCAffrey, who was better absorbed offensively than expected.
Because offensively they were always able to put up at least 21 points after his departure, something they managed to do a whole twice before that. A win on Thursday can only be achieved by improving their defence. But that is also possible.
Panthers and Falcons statistically on par
With 25.3 points allowed and 370.3 yards per game, their defence is on the back foot, but still just better than the Falcons’. They allow an incredible 406.9 yards per game. Since both teams don’t take each other much offensively either (289.9 to 320.1 yards per game), the duel on Thursday is open.
The home advantage and the desire for revenge speak for Carolina, the slightly better form and record for Atlanta. In this coin toss Panthers vs Falcons game, the odds on one team winning are very difficult to bet on. Instead, we recommend betting on the fourth quarter as the one with the most points.
Ten days ago, 34 points were scored in this part of the game and given the balance of the teams, a similar scenario could be likely again on Thursday.
Key Players:
QB: P. J. Walker
RB: D’Onta Foreman
WR: DJ Moore
TE: Tommy Tremble
K: Eddy Pineiro
Atlanta Falcons – Statistics & current form
Which of these two teams is the bigger surprise package? This question is not so easy to answer, as the Falcons are also dancing on a razor’s edge this season. A clear victory against the 49ers was followed by a defeat against Cincinnati.
Then came the success against the Panthers, which was followed by another defeat against the Chargers. According to the law of the series, it would now be the turn of another win – but betting on this is fraught with risk. Nevertheless: If you prefer a win, you can bet on the Falcons
Mariota as a good game manager
With Marcus Mariota, they have one of the most unimpressive quarterbacks in their ranks. He’s hardly talked about in the NFL, which isn’t necessarily a bad sign for quarterbacks from weaker teams.
He makes few mistakes, but also few great plays. So far he has a mediocre record of ten touchdowns with six interceptions. However, five of these plays (3 TD, 2 INT) came in the first leg of the game between these two teams.
Both teams played themselves into a frenzy towards the end and simply forgot that there is also defence. If that happens again on Thursday, we see the Falcons with a slight advantage thanks to Mariota – simply because of his experience.
Defence will tip the scales
So we stress again that on Thursday the defensive performance could decide. This time, however, we are not looking at the total points allowed, where both take little away from each other, but at the turnovers forced. Here the Falcons forced five more than the Panthers.
Another small indication that the favourite status is slightly on the side of the Falcons. Thus, for Carolina vs. Atlanta, a bet on the Falcons is more likely to be played than on the Panthers. However, our betting recommendation is over-points or lots of points in the fourth quarter.
Key Players:
QB: Marcus Mariota
RB: Cardarrelle Patterson
WR: Drake London
TE: Kyle Pitts
K: Younghoe Koo
Carolina Panthers – Atlanta Falcons Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
We have already mentioned the last duel ten days ago several times. It’s still talked about in both cities, because it was just so incredibly wild towards the end. However, the Panthers were also one of the Falcons’ favourite opponents before that.
Eight of the last ten direct duels went to Atlanta – the duel on matchday 8 was just the cherry on the cake. The last two meetings were also quite high-scoring and saw 50 and 71 total points. A development that could continue on Thursday.
Therefore, the odds on over 43.5 points are a nice betting alternative for Carolina vs. Atlanta, which would also be successful if a defence should completely collapse again. That could actually happen as well.
Carolina Panthers – Atlanta Falcons tip
The Falcons are the slight favourites, which comes as no surprise given their better record. However, as we still expect a duel on equal terms, bets on them are not our favoured tip – even though they are possible.
We prefer an over-points bet on Panthers vs. Falcons, as both defensive lines have performed rather poorly of late. It seems likely that one team will break the 25-point mark. Only which one it will be is not so clear to see.
Alternatively, betting on a DJ Moore touchdown is an option. The caught one of the most outstanding passes of the season against the Falcons ten days ago, but then got carried away with the stupidity of taking off his helmet. He would probably love to make up for that stupidity.
