Falcons 'Pretty Familiar' with Panthers' Defensive Talent

The Atlanta Falcons have their work cut out for them on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers' stellar duo at linebacker.

The Atlanta Falcons will be welcoming No. 1 overall Bryce Young to the NFL on Sunday when they host the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a Week 1 matchup.

But while much of the attention will understandably be headed the rookie quarterback's way, Falcons coach Arthur Smith is arguably more concerned with the talent of a Panthers defense that could be on the rise.

“Some of the personnel, we’re pretty familiar with – especially on the defensive side," Smith said. "They invested a lot of draft capital on the defense the last couple of years and it certainly paid off."

The Panthers boast Shaq Thompson at linebacker, who is coming off a 12.5-sack season and has had at least 7.5 sacks in every season of his career.

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Smith pointed out Thompson in particular, who has gotten quite familiar with the Falcons and NFC South as he heads into his ninth season with Carolina.

"They still, in my opinion, have one of the better inside backers in the league in Shaq Thompson," Smith said. "So it’s the division. With him and Demario [Davis], both of them are very good inside linebackers. Smart players, tough, set the tone."'

The Falcons know who they'll need to worry about on defense, but that won't stop Burns and Thompson from inevitably making plays. Atlanta's rookie star running back Bijan Robinson could be in for a tough day in his NFL debut despite how ready the Falcons offense is.

Atlanta and Carolina will kickoff at 1 p.m. on Sunday.