I’m not trying to be flippant here; I just feel really good about this matchup for Atlanta.
Why? The Panthers shouldn’t be able to put a ton of stress on a Jeff Okudah-less Falcons defense, owing to injuries that have their top receivers either limited or absent for this one. The Carolina ground game is missing Falcons killer D’Onta Foreman, who signed with the Bears in the offseason, and has added Miles Sanders. Sanders did his best work before contact behind an excellent line last year (9th in the NFL in average yards before contact) and was mediocre after contact (27th in the NFL, on average, there), and is playing behind a line that’s shaky and featuring unproven players.