The Atlanta Falcons entered this season with hopes of winning the NFC South, but those plans have recently unraveled. The Falcons have lost their last four games, and are entering Week 11 with a 3-6 record on the season. Atlanta went from being a promising young team hoping to make the next step, to a team looking for its identity, with multiple coaches on the hot seat.
Of course, it’s still early in the year, and the Falcons can battle back and finish with a respectable record, but they’re in a rough patch right now, and things could get even uglier on Sunday with the opponent they have coming to town.
For Atlanta’s Week 11 game, they will host the Carolina Panthers, a team that has had Atlanta’s number in recent years. And Sunday's outcome will be incredibly telling on if the season is truly salvageable.
Falcons game against Panthers couldn’t have come at a worse time for Atlanta
Carolina hasn’t been good in recent years, and that’s what makes its wins over the Falcons so confusing and frustrating. Atlanta has lost the last two games against the Panthers, and three of the last four meetings. The most recent game between the two NFC South rivals came in Week 3 of this season, and Carolina absolutely dominated Atlanta, winning 30-0.
The Panthers entered that game 0-2, while the Falcons were 1-1. However, none of that mattered, as Atlanta couldn’t get a thing going. Carolina forced three turnovers en route to the shutout victory, and the Falcons missed multiple field goals, keeping their score at zero.
When the two teams met at the end of last season, the game was much closer, going to overtime. Still, the Panthers were victorious, winning 44-38. The Falcons' last win against Carolina came the game before that, when Atlanta won 38-20 in Carolina.
Kirk Cousins was still starting for the Falcons at the time, but they were powered by a strong rushing attack, with Tyler Allgeier rushing for 105 yards and a score, and Bijan Robinson picking up 95 rushing yards and and two touchdowns.
Atlanta would love to have that kind of output on the ground on Sunday, and for the passing game to be clicking on all cylinders. Whatever the method, the Falcons just need a win.