Panthers vs. Falcons Preview: Can Atlanta End 5-Year Week 1 Drought?

Previewing the Atlanta Falcons' season opener against the Carolina Panthers, from Week 1 history to full rundowns on each team's offseason changes and much more.

It's officially game week for the Atlanta Falcons, who are set to kick off perhaps their most anticipated season in recent memory this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Poised for progress after consecutive 7-10 seasons under coach Arthur Smith, the Falcons have carried noticeable energy and confidence throughout the summer. Smith has said it feels like a real team inside the locker room, and he's having more fun than ever before.

Now, the real fun - better yet, the real work - starts ... but who has the edge in Week 1?

The Falcons have, of late, struggled in season openers, going just 3-7 in their last 10 tries and standing 28-29 overall. Atlanta's last Week 1 win came in 2017.

Carolina hasn't been much better, as it's lost three of the last four openers and carries just an 11-17 record all-time. The Falcons have the head-to-head advantage at 3-1, though the last such meeting came in 2006.

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The Falcons and Panthers have split both meetings in each of the past two seasons while notching a win both at home and on the road. Atlanta's won the two higher-scoring matchups, including a rollercoaster 37-34 overtime win in Week 8 last year.

But the two teams that will take the field on Sunday afternoon are completely different than the ones who faced each other on Thursday Night Football last November, a game the Panthers won 25-15 and largely started the Falcons' second half struggles.

Carolina is led by coach Frank Reich, who was hired in the spring after being fired last year by the Indianapolis Colts following four and a half seasons during which he compiled a record of 40-33-1.

Reich's shiny new toy under center is No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner and two-year starter at Alabama.

Young is surrounded by several recently added weapons, including free agent signees in running back Miles Sanders, tight end Hayden Hurst and receivers DJ Chark and Adam Thielen, along with second-round wideout Jonathan Mingo.

Defensively, the Panthers return several key figures, headlined by safety Jeremy Chinn, linebacker Shaq Thompson, outside linebacker Brian Burns and defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

Carolina boasts a new safety duo in Vonn Bell and Xavier Woods, who signed this offseason after spending 2022 with the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings, respectively.

There are also new additions to the defensive front, with Shy Tuttle, Deshawn Williams and Justin Houston all slated to see extended action.

The Panthers went 0-3 in the preseason and allowed lots of pressure on Young, who finished the exhibition outings with 14 completions on 24 attempts for 129 yards and a touchdown.

New faces in new places are largely the story in Atlanta, as well.

The Falcons entered free agency armed with the second-most cap space league-wide and capitalized, bringing in a talented free agency class spearheaded by safety Jessie Bates III, defensive linemen David Onyemata and Calais Campbell, linebacker Kaden Elliss and receiver Mack Hollins, among several others.

At quarterback is Desmond Ridder, who will make his first Week 1 start after a growth-filled four-game sample size last year during which he completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 708 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The theme of Atlanta's offense during the summer has been explosiveness via positionless design - receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running backs Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson are all back, while Hollins, tight end Jonnu Smith (acquired via trade from the New England Patriots) and first-round running back Bijan Robinson entered the fold.

After finishing with the league's third-best rushing offense last year at just under 160 yards per game, the Falcons are hoping for a more balanced approach this season, and Ridder's encouraging preseason drive - seven of nine for 80 yards marred by a deflected interception - showed that wish may come true.

An underrated storyline to monitor Sunday is the new defensive coordinators that each side boasts.

For Carolina, Ejiro Evero will call the plays after venturing over from the Denver Broncos this offseason. Atlanta attempted to interview Evero for its vacant job after Dean Pees retired but was blocked by the Broncos.

So, the Falcons turned to Saints co-defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and haven't looked back, with the organization rallying behind his infectious energy and competitiveness that was apparent during Atlanta's 1-1-1 preseason.

Both defensive coordinators will face respected minds in Smith and Reich, who will attempt to guide young quarterbacks through their first Week 1 outings in a divisional affair.

Championships aren't won in the season opener ... but the Falcons and Panthers each missed out on the NFC South crown by one game last season; they understand how valuable every win is, no matter when it comes.

And with the division viewed as wide open this season, each opportunity to gain ground on a rival is important ... especially with both sides filled with belief that the postseason is within reach.

“They're division games - it matters," Smith said. "I think it does matter a little bit more because of the standings and trying to win the division, that’s the sure-ticket into the playoffs.”

The Falcons and Panthers will kickoff the new season at 1 p.m. in Atlanta, searching to break past Week 1 difficulties and get started on the right foot with a win in what could prove to be an important affair come January.