Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers GAMEDAY Preview: Keeping Playoff Hopes Alive?

The Carolina Panthers play the Atlanta Falcons today at Bank of America Stadium.

The Atlanta Falcons are on the road to face the Carolina Panthers today, and it will be just about as important as any playoff game could be.

Last week, the Falcons lost at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and fell in the NFC South standings. Luckily, the fall wasn't too dramatic; with only four games remaining on the team's schedule, the team is now second in the division. However, the NFC South has three teams tied with the same 6-7 record: the Falcons, the Bucs, and the New Orleans Saints, which means that the margin of error is razor-thin going forward. 

If Atlanta can manage to win out the remainder of its games this season, there's a good chance that the team will make its first playoff appearance since 2018 and win the division for the first time since 2016. 

Fortunately for the Falcons, Atlanta has the third easiest remaining strength of schedule, according to Tankathon, with the Panthers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, and Saints remaining. Of the four teams left on the Falcons' schedule, only the Colts are above .500, but in order for any of that to matter, the team must win this week on the road in Carolina against a division rival.

The Atlanta Falcons are facing pressure to win out the remainder of the team's schedule in order to earn a playoff appearance, starting on the road this weekend versus the Carolina Panthers / Photo Credits: USA Today

Without sugarcoating things, the Panthers are the worst team in the NFL this season. Currently holding a record of 1-12, riding a six-game losing streak (largest in the NFL), and a -144 point differential (the largest negative point differential in the league), the only fathomable way that Atlanta loses this game is if the team beat itself up from last week's loss so badly that it comes in already mentally defeated.

Yes, it's the NFL, and anything can happen on any given Sunday, but at this point, considering that Ridder is playing for his job as a starter and Arthur Smith is attempting to silence any rumors that his job is on a hot seat or even a warm one, it's tough to imagine Atlanta losing this game with so much on the line.

As for the Panthers, they have nothing to gain from a loss since the organization traded its first-round pick this year in a package to acquire rookie franchise quarterback Bryce Young in last year's NFL Draft. Expect Carolina to give this game everything it has in order to spoil its rival's playoff aspirations. Unfortunately for them, it seems the team lacks the talent to compete with most teams this season. 

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If the Panthers want to make this a competitive game, the team must feed the run game, which looked strong a week ago, and attempt to expose the weakness in the Falcons defensive line that Tampa Bay found a week ago.

Speaking of defensive lines, Carolina's defensive linemen, such as Brian Burns and Derrick Brown, must apply pressure to Atlanta's quarterback Desmond Ridder and make him uncomfortable in an attempt to force mistakes and create turnovers, something that he's struggled with all season. 

Overall, this game is the Falcons to lose. Atlanta should walk away with a win and maintain its playoff hopes going forward.