Panthers at Falcons
THE STORY: The Carolina Panthers are getting tired of coming close. The defending NFC South champion Atlanta Falcons are starting to know the feeling, too. The suddenly competitive Panthers will try to find a way to close out a victory when they travel to the Georgia Dome on Sunday to face a Falcons team that is reeling after squandering a two-touchdown lead against Green Bay last week. The Falcons have won four of the past five meetings, including a 31-10 rout at home in the most recent contest in January.
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Falcons -4, O/U 50.5
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (1-4): Newton continues to put up big numbers – his 1,610 passing yards rank third in the NFC – but they haven't translated into many victories. Developing a rapport with veteran WR Steve Smith has helped the rookie to his prolific start. Smith leads the NFC with 609 receiving yards and leads the NFL with four receptions of 50 or more yards. The Panthers finally gave Newton a running game to work with last week as DeAngelo Williams rushed for 115 yards, his first 100-yard game since 2009. Williams has averaged 119.2 rush yards per game in his past 10 division games.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (2-3): Atlanta jumped out to a 14-0 lead against the defending Super Bowl champion Packers a week ago, but the offense sputtered in the second half. The Falcons managed only 106 yards after the first two scoring drives. RB Michael Turner was held below 100 yards for the third straight game, and the passing game took a hit with a hamstring injury to rookie WR Julio Jones, who is considered day-to-day.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Newton is the first player in NFL history with five or more pass touchdowns (7) and five more rushing touchdowns (5) in his first five games.
2. Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez has 1,096 career catches and needs seven to move into second all-time.
3. Ryan has won all three home starts against the Panthers and is 21-3 at home overall.