The Falcons have to beat the Panthers. I say this not because the world will end if they don’t, but because I don’t particularly want to wake up in a world on Friday morning where Atlanta is 4-6 and has just lost to the worst team in the NFC South. Good vibes would be welcome heading into the bye week.
Atlanta will have to best Carolina and the weather tonight, but as ever, I’m optimistic they’ll get the job done. The passing game is due for a bounceback effort, especially after Marcus Mariota and company were pretty good against Carolina last time out, and a script that favors the run in the rain only helps Atlanta.