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Week 6 Panthers vs. Falcons Betting Preview – NFL Lines

Venue/ Stadium: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

Many though that the Falcons (2-3) would have an unstoppable offense after they moved up in the draft to take WR Julio Jones, but that has not been the case this season, as they only rank 14th in the league in passing yards per game and they are also having problems running the ball.

Time/Date: 1 PM EST Sunday, October 16, 2011
NCAA Odds From: BetOnline
Moneyline: Panthers +165 / Falcons -190
Spread (ATS): Falcons -4
Over/Under: 50

Carolina Panthers vs. Atlanta Falcons Preview

The Panthers (1-4) are getting great play from rookie QB Cam Newton, but his play has not translated into wins. NFL lines have the Falcons as 4-point home favorites with a total of 50.

Last Sunday the Panthers played pretty well, but lost to the New Orleans Saints 30-27 while the Falcons lost to the Green Bay Packers 25-14.

The Falcons have already lost as many games as they did last season and they need to turn things around quick to keep pace with the 4-1 Saints in the NFC South. In the loss to Green Bay last week the Falcons jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but were outscored 19-0 in the 2nd half.

Matt Ryan has had to shoulder the load on offense, as he has the 3rd most pass attempts in the NFL. While WR’s Julio Jones (25 rec 358 yards) and Roddy White (32 rec 352 yards) have put up good numbers, but this duo only has combined for 2 TD. The Panthers have the league’s 15th ranked pass defense, but gave up 343 passing yards to the Saints last week.

One of the big reasons for the Falcons’ struggles is their inability to run the ball. Their rushing offense only ranks 23rd in the league and RB Michael Turner has rushed for only 146 yards in his last 3 games. However, he may get back on track in this game facing a Panthers’ run defense that ranks 27th in the league.

The Atlanta D has one goal in this game and that is to contain Cam Newton, who has accounted for 12 of Carolina’s 13 TD on the season. He leads the Panthers and their 5th ranked passing offense and his main target of WR Steve Smith (27 rec 609 yards 3 TD) is averaging 22.6 yards per reception. The Atlanta pass defense has been horrid this season ranking 28th in the league and to help their secondary their pass rush, which only has 9 sacks through 5 games, must pressure him in the pocket. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Newton has to avoid the turnover in this game, as he has 6 INT and 1 fumble on the season.

The Falcons’ run defense has been legit ranking 8th in the league and they have to contain Newton on the ground, as well as the RB duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

Betting Trends

Carolina is 4-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 4-1 and Atlanta is 1-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-2.

Carolina is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games facing a team with a losing record, and has an Over record of 5-1-1 in their last 7 road games.

Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite, 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games facing a team with a losing record, and has an Over record of 3-0-1 in their last 4 games as a favorite.

Jason’s Pick: Carolina is playing well and Atlanta is struggling, but I think the Falcons will play well in this game and their offense will come alive and score a lot of points. Take Atlanta giving 4 points and take the Over as well, as both teams will score a lot of points.

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By Jason Green

Jason Green is back with Cappers Picks again to give out his free sports plays. As always he's hoping the Braves and Redskins can win a championship since their last one in the 90’s was long ago. He’s starting to know the pain of Cubs fans.