Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons: Our predictions, betting info, TV channel
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Both Carolina (5-5) and Atlanta (3-6) have been inconsistent this season.
- Atlanta has lost four games in a row but remains a slight home favorite.
- In first meeting this season, Panthers trounced Atlanta 30-0 in Charlotte in September.
No one would blame you if you looked at this weekend’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons and wondered aloud:
Who are these guys?
Because, quite frankly, both of them are difficult to figure out.
Take the Panthers, for example. Carolina is 5-5 in November for the first time since the 2021 season. That’s good. They’ve won all sorts of games in all sorts of ways: Their defense shut a team out and held the Jets to six points; their offense ushered in the emergence of Rico Dowdle, who is a Top 5 running back in the NFL right now; their special teams units are firing on most cylinders, particularly the kicking game with rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. That’s all good, too.
And yet, the talk of the week has been that their quarterback, Bryce Young, has been struggling, and that their pass game is painfully one-dimensional with rookie sensation Tetairoa McMillan getting most of the targets. The Panthers are coming off a mostly uncontested loss to the New Orleans Saints, too, who were previously 1-8 and were starting a rookie quarterback who had yet to win a game up until his trip to Bank of America Stadium. That’s … well … not as good.
The good news? The only team as vexing as the Panthers in the entire league, perhaps, is their next opponent.
The Falcons are 3-6. They have a 30-0 shutout loss to their name — against the Panthers, no less — although their wins have actually aged pretty well. They defeated Minnesota while their starting quarterback JJ McCarthy was healthy. They also beat the Buffalo Bills, a perennial Super Bowl contender. They even hung tough with the NFL’s breakout teams in the New England Patriots (lost by one) and Indianapolis Colts (lost in overtime).
And yet, you look at the Falcons and all they have to offer, and it’s difficult to understand how they’ve lost their last four games. Running back Bijan Robinson is considered one of the best backs — one of the best players, really — in the NFL. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has an 86.8 passer rating and is averaging 225.9 passing yards a game. Receiver Drake London is making a couple of “what-did-I-just-witness” catches every quarter. And their defense ranks among the best in the passing game — which includes the league’s best opponent pass yards per game stat (162.3 yards) and the league’s second-best sack percentage (10.86%). You might hear the names Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. — both rookie outside linebackers from the Carolinas — a few times, if all goes according to the Falcons’ plan.
So, we ask again: What to make of this matchup?
Observer writers Scott Fowler, Mike Kaye and Alex Zietlow are here to do the improbable and predict what will happen at 1 p.m. Sunday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Also, here is important broadcast information and what the sportsbooks are saying.
Broadcast information for Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers and Falcons kick off at 1 p.m. in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Fans can catch the game on FOX, with Jason Benetti, Brady Quinn and Sarah Kustok on the call.
Listeners on the radio can follow the game on WRFX The Fox at 99.7 FM, with Anish Shroff, Luke Kuechly and Jim Szoke. Check the Carolina Panthers Radio Network for full listings. The game can also be heard in Spanish at WXNC 97.3 FC / 1060 AM, with Jamie Moreno and Antonio Ramos.
Panthers-Falcons inactives
Here are the players who are inactive for the Panthers: WR Hunter Renfrow, S Lathan Ransom, LB Trevin Wallace, C Nick Samac, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, TE James Mitchell and DT Cam Jackson.
Here are the inactives for the Falcons: CB Dee Alford, CB Mike Hughes, ILB Josh Woods, Edge Leonard Floyd, G Matthew Bergeron, DL Elijah Garcia and DL Zach Harrison.
Betting lines that look intriguing
The Panthers, it’s fair to say, did not exactly handle being favored well when they were last week against the New Orleans Saints. They’re back to being underdogs in this one.
The Falcons are favored by 3.5 points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook as of Saturday. The over/under points total is 41.5, with the Panthers’ moneyline at +176 and the Falcons’ moneyline at -210.
Also of note: The Panthers are 6-4 against the spread this year, and the Falcons are 4-4-1 against the spread, according to Stat Muse.
Here are some other bets you might consider ahead of Sunday’s contest:
- Anytime First Half TD Scorer — Tetairoa McMillan. We’ve written extensively this week how much the Panthers’ rookie receiver gets targeted, particularly early in games, this week. It’s reasonable to assume such a trend will persist. And with the Falcons likely homed in on the run game, Young will likely be asked to throw a bunch. McMillan’s odds for a first-half touchdown: +410.
- Most Passing Yards — Michael Penix Jr. We know the odds aren’t super lucrative, but gosh, this one seems pretty obvious. The Falcons rely on Penix to throw the ball downfield a bunch more than the Panthers rely on Young to do that. Take the -390 odds and run with it.
- Player Rushing Yards — Rico Dowdle. After a rough production outing against the Saints, there is the possibility that the running back out of Carolina bounces back. Still, those over/under totals are pretty high. The line’s set at 86.5 yards; meanwhile Bijan Robinson’s is only at 72.5.
Game predictions: Panthers or Falcons?
All predictors got it wrong last week when they wrote that the Panthers would defeat the Saints. That keeps Scott Fowler in the lead at 6-4, with Alex Zietlow and Mike Kaye stuck at 3-7. Check out this weekend’s prediction below.
Fowler: Panthers 23, Falcons 20. By all rights, the Falcons should win this one. They are the favorite, they are playing at home, they are smarting from that 30-0 loss to Carolina in September, and they have had far better results than the Panthers against most common opponents (Buffalo, New England, etc.) Nevertheless, I’m going to figure on a bounce-back game for Carolina, with the Panthers getting the passing game going just enough for Rico Dowdle to have another 100-yard rushing game.
Kaye: Falcons 27, Panthers 23. Well, here we are. The Panthers and Falcons split this series every year, and Atlanta should be quite motivated to avenge its 30-0 loss in Week 3. Then again, Carolina should be pretty locked in as well. This one is a toss-up. I don’t really feel confident either way. Bryce Young, Dave Canales and the rest of the crew — prove me wrong.
Zietlow: Falcons 19, Panthers 13. The Panthers have done really well bouncing back from games this year. They responded well to the Patriots’ blowout with a come-from-behind win over the Dolphins. They were knocked out by the Bills but got off the canvas a week later against the really talented Green Bay Packers. But as I said earlier this year — and yes, I know the Panthers previously shut out the Falcons — Atlanta poses a pretty difficult matchup for Carolina on paper. I’d look for Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to copy what the Saints did against the run and force Bryce Young to defeat a best-in-the-league pass defense on his own. This might be close, and ugly, but I expect a Falcons win.
This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
