Sunday 1PM #1 – Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons

Tired of hearing about the Falcons yet? So is Carolina. The Panthers used to be the kings of the NFC and the NFC South and now they’ve got to watch Atlanta get all the love and attention. You know that doesn’t sit well with Cam Newton, who revels in the spotlight. Even if Carolina has been eliminated by the final week of the season, they’d love nothing more than to spoil this Sunday for the Falcons.

Keys to the Game

Panthers

Carolina needs to go right after Atlanta in this one and punch them in the mouth. Newton needs to step up and take over this game through the air and on the ground in the process of willing the Panthers to victory. They’re going to have to put some points on the board if they want to beat Atlanta. Defensively, it will take some pressure from the D-line to get under Matty “Ice” Ryan’s skin and force a few bad passes. If they give him time to throw, he’ll pick apart their pathetic pass defense.

Falcons

Atlanta finds themselves in great position to win this final game with a matchup against one of the NFL’s worst secondaries. They’ll just need to focus on keeping Ryan upright while he dissects Carolina’s defense. If they can do that, they’ll be able to put up enough points that they won’t even have to worry about what Cam is doing on the other sideline. He won’t be able to keep up with Atlanta’s firepower.