Getty Grady Jarrett #97 of the Atlanta Falcons sacks Sam Darnold #14 of the Carolina Panthers.
On Sunday, November 12, the Atlanta Falcons will take on the Carolina Panthers for the second time this season.
The first time didn’t end so well as the Falcons fell 19-13, while Matt Ryan finished the game with a bloody hand and star wideout Calvin Ridley announced he would be stepping away from football.
Also during that game, the Panthers ran the ball 47 times against the Falcons’ defense, finishing the day with 203 yards on the ground.
Falcons’ top defender Grady Jarrett doesn’t want the same mistake to happen twice, so the focus for this week is stopping the run.
“You never want teams to run on you,” Jarrett during Thursday’s press conference. “As a defensive lineman, that’s always the worst thing. Something we take pride in, not letting teams run all over us.”
ALL the latest Falcons news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Falcons newsletter here!
The Panthers Offense Will Look Different This Time
Jarrett is well aware that this Panthers offense is going to look a bit different. Carolina recently brought back quarterback Cam Newton and fired offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
So, the Panthers may or may not end up bringing that same game plan this Sunday, but either way, the Falcons must be prepared to put a stop to them for this must-win matchup.
“Personnel-wise going into this Sunday is going to be a lot different than what we’ve seen the first game,” Jarrett said. “Brought back Cam Newton, dynamic player. At the end of the day, they want to be a physical team. What they want to be about, being physical, run the ball, making big plays in the pass game is staying true.”
“We’ve got to be ready regardless. However they want to call plays or whatever players go out there, we’ve got to make sure that we’re ready and prepared.”
Carolina enters Week 14 fresh off a bye after falling 33-10 to the Miami Dolphins the week prior with Newton as their start. In that contest, neither Newton nor P.J. Walker could find a groove in the air as they completed a combined 10 of 31 passes along with three interceptions. They have also been missing their backfield threat in Christian McCaffrey, who landed on the injured reserve to end his season early which has clearly put a damper on their offense. However, his absence didn’t matter when they last faced Atlanta.
Falcons’ Have an Edge With Cordarelle Patterson Available
The Panthers have a QB crisis and they can’t throw the ball, thus having to rely on the McCaffrey-less backfield.
The Falcons defensive should be well aware this time on what to look for and put a stop to. As for their offense, they’ll have more weapons.
What will be the game changer here is Atlanta having swiss army knife Cordarrelle Patterson available and possibly another weapon in tight end Hayden Hurst.
Patterson was sidelined on Halloween with an ankle injury but has since been available. His presence has opened up more opportunities for rookie tight end Kyle Pitts and given the Falcons a better chance at winning.
As for Hurst, it’s unclear if he will be available this Sunday, but if he is, he will be another reliable target for Matt Ryan.
Nonetheless, this game should be a lot more fun for Atlanta fans to watch than it was on October 31 with a playoff picture on the horizon.
READ NEXT:
Comments