3 to watch for Panthers at Falcons: Shutdowns, slowdowns and running downs

Joseph Person’s three things to watch in Sunday’s Carolina Panthers game at Atlanta:

Julio Jones vs. Josh Norman, part deux

Norman, the Panthers’ Pro Bowl cornerback, won the first matchup with the Falcons wideout 15 days ago, holding Jones to four catches for 33 yards in Carolina’s 38-0 victory. Norman says he won’t let last Sunday’s game-long dust-up with Odell Beckham Jr. change his aggressive style. In other words, expect Norman to get on the line of scrimmage across from Jones and challenge him. After the officials were criticized for not getting the Norman-Beckham skirmish under control early in the game, it’s worth keeping an eye on how Sunday’s game is called. Unfortunately – or maybe fortunately depending on your view – Norman won’t be covering Roddy White, who this week said Norman wasn’t a “tough guy” or an elite corner.

Panthers’ pass rush needs to pick up

Giants quarterback Eli Manning dropped back 46 times last weekend, and was not sacked. The Panthers were credited with only four quarterback hits, and their inconsistent pressure helped the Giants storm back from a 28-point deficit. Carolina’s front four has traditionally given the Falcons’ offensive line fits, including a nine-sack performance two years ago in Atlanta. The Panthers had five sacks (including three on Matt Ryan) in the first meeting with the Falcons, but their defensive ends were responsible for only a half-sack. Starting right end Jared Allen has gone seven games without a sack, and left end Charles Johnson hasn’t had a sack in the four games since returning from short-term IR.

Will Cam need to run vs. hometown team?

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the presumptive leading MVP candidate, tossed three first-half touchdowns as the Panthers jumped out to a 28-0 halftime in Week 14 against Atlanta. Newton rushed only three times for 4 yards against the Falcons, who rank 14th against the run. But with Jonathan Stewart sidelined by a foot sprain against the Giants, Newton ran eight times for 100 yards. Stewart is out again this week, and rookie Cameron Artis-Payne is expected to get the bulk of the carries after a strong second half vs. the Giants. Newton might need to run on occasion vs. Atlanta. But as weak as the Falcons’ pass rush has been (a league-low 17 sacks), Newton should have plenty of time in the pocket and likely will do most of his damage through the air.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "3 to watch for Panthers at Falcons: Shutdowns, slowdowns and running downs."