The challenges facing the Atlanta Falcons defense this week when they square off against the Carolina Panthers are considerably less than they saw in last week’s beatdown at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. However, the Panthers offense will challenge the Falcons in areas where they’ve had previous struggles. Their ability to show progress will tell us not only about the effectiveness of their defensive coaching staff, but also give them an opportunity to start building a positive defensive culture.
One of those troublesome areas is defending screens, where the Falcons were gashed by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6.