The Atlanta Falcons cleared their seven game opening stretch with a 3-4 record, putting them firmly in the mix in an unexpectedly weak NFC South. Now things open up for our birds of prey, who get to feast on some of the NFL’s lesser lights the rest of the way, minus a couple of exceptions.
The Carolina Panthers are no such exception. Fresh off a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and with Matt Rhule tossed overboard, Carolina is likely to be much feistier the rest of the way. They’re still a deeply broken football team, one with intriguing defensive pieces and a mess of an offense that doesn’t have a clear long-term option at quarterback and one that just jettisoned a couple of useful players in Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Anderson.