2016 NFL Carolina At Atlanta Expert Picks

The first 3 weeks of the NFL online betting season has delivered a few surprises, perhaps the biggest of which is that the NFC South is not being dominated by the Carolina Panthers. The general consensus coming into this season was that the South was their division to lose, and it has to be said that they are doing a pretty decent job of that at the moment. It’s still very early yet, though, and this team is too talented to continue playing as poorly as they are at the moment. They will into Atlanta this weekend to face a Falcons team that are sitting atop the division with a 2-1 record, but who are heading into a brutal stretch of games that are really going to put them to the test. The Panthers should still win this division, but a loss here would put them at 1-3 to start the season, and have them right behind the 8-ball. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on if you plan on wagering this weekend.

Analyzing The 2016 NFL Carolina Panthers At Atlanta Falcons Expert Picks

When: Sunday, October 2 at 1 PM EST Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta TV: FOX Radio: WBT and WZGC NFL Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Carolina Panthers

Losing on the road to the World Champion Denver Broncos in the opening week of the season was not a particularly huge shock. It appeared as though normal service had been resumed in Week 2 when the Panthers took apart the 49ers, but doubts were once again cast last week when Minnesota went into Carolina and put in a stifling defensive display to come up with the 22-10 win. It was assumed that home field would once again be a fortress for the Panthers, but this is just further proof that it’s not only the champs who have a hard time getting back to the Super Bowl. In order to get back on track, the Carolina Panthers are going to have to stop turning the ball over, which they have done 8 times in the opening 3 games.

Why bet on the Atlanta Falcons

You have to be impressed with the Falcons offense through the opening 3 weeks of the season, as they have been sensational both on the ground and through the air. Their defense has not been quite so good, though, and they have been getting routinely burned, giving up an average of 30 points per game through the first 3 games of the season. As mentioned earlier, the Falcons have a brutal schedule of games ahead of them, and their good work so far can be very quickly erased if they do not find a way to tighten up on defense. That said, they might just keep winning shootouts.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

These two teams have split their last two meetings at the Georgia Dome, as well as the last 4 overall. I think that this has the potential to be a close one, but I think it will be the Panthers who pull it out. It’s also worth noting that their last 4 meetings have all gone UNDER.

Carolina Panthers 24 Atlanta Falcons 21