Alabama reminded us recently that there are considerable perils associated with looking past an opponent coming off a major win. Having just knocked off Georgia, the Crimson Tide were blown off the field by the Vanderbilt Commodores, a team they last lost to in 1984.
That’s a timely reminder not because the Falcons are Alabama-level dominant—god willing, but not yet—but because they’re fresh off a huge, emotional win against the Buccaneers and headed on the road to face the lowly Panthers. Carolina just got drubbed by Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore, the quarterback picked with the selection they swapped to the Bears and the receiver they swapped in that same deal, and they lost five starters on top of an already long injury list.