Falcons Face Challenges in 'Adapting' Panthers on Sunday

The Carolina Panthers have had their fair share of turmoil over the last few weeks. But they will also present challenges for the Atlanta Falcons.

The Atlanta Falcons are just two days away from facing the Carolina Panthers, but the division rival they knew at the beginning of the year isn't the same heading into Week 8.

Following a 1-4 start to the 2022 season, Dave Tepper, the Panthers owner, decided it was time to move on from his head coach Matt Rhule.

Five games into his third year at the franchise's helm, Rhule was let go as he could never help the organization "get over the hump," as evidenced by his 11-27 record. With Rhule out, the Panthers turned to their defensive coordinator and former NFL head coach in his own right Steve Wilks to serve as interim head coach. 

The changes would not stop with the coaching staff. In the following weeks, Carolina traded disgruntled wide receiver Robbie Anderson to the Cardinals before shipping off its most dynamic playmaker, running back Christian McCaffrey, to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for several draft picks just a week ago.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith spoke about these changes during his presser this week as he prepares his team to face the 2-5 Carolina Panthers coming off a big upset win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

"They've got good defensive personnel," Smith said. "These guys play extremely hard, and they're trying to establish a little bit of a different identity. They ran the ball really well yesterday; they've invested in their offensive line, so I'd imagine they want to get those guys rolling a little bit." 

It seems fair to say that defense has not been the problem in Carolina. Their most recent showing versus Tom Brady and the Buccaneers speaks volumes. The Panthers held Brady and company to just 3 points while dominating the Bucs on third down, allowing them to convert just twice out of twelve opportunities.  

Offensively, even without one of the league's best backs like McCaffrey, the Panthers found much success via the ground game. D'Onta Foreman led Carolina in rushing against the Bucs with 118 yards on 15 carries, guiding the Panthers to a 173-yards rushing performance as a team, far exceeding their season average of rushing yards per game of 102.1.  

Yet, Smith will share some familiarity, coaching against Steve Wilks and interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb, two coaches he's seen before. 

"Gone against Steve Wilks before (in a) couple of other spots," Smith said. "Al Holcomb, he's calling it. Those guys have been together before - played them on opening day in '19 in Cleveland, practiced against them when they were both with Carolina. They've adapted, they'll have their own flavor on it."

On paper, seeing a 3-4 team face a 2-5 team may not draw much intrigue. Despite both teams currently sitting below that .500 mark, this weekend's game could potentially hold significance in the season-long race for the NFC South.

The Falcons and Panthers kick off Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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You can follow Harrison Reno on Twitter @HarrisonReno

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