The Falcons, particularly their defense, made a statement on Sunday Night Football, going into a hostile environment and pummeling the Vikings by two touchdowns. Minnesota could only mustered six points, as Atlanta’s defense recorded a pair of interceptions to go along with six sacks.

On the offensive side, the Falcons left a lot of points on the board. They were dismal in the red zone, and Michael Penix Jr. had one of his more uninspiring performances. But they were able to get back to their roots and pound the rock, racking up 218 yards on the ground in a physical showing from the offensive line.

The Falcons now go back on the road for their second divisional matchup of the season, facing a Panthers team that’s still looking for their first win of the season.

Keys To Victory

• Just like Week 2, the Falcons should dominate this one in the trenches. The Panthers offensive line, which was already one of the worst in football, lost two starters last week against the Cardinals, making this the perfect opportunity for a revamped Falcons pass rush to get after the quarterback early and often. Pressuring the quarterback is always important, but it’ll be even more necessary this week with top cornerback A.J. Terrell expected to be sitting out with a hamstring injury.
• The offensive line should also have a field day, as long as they can take care of Derrick Brown in the middle, who is one of the best interior defensive linemen in football. Outside of him, the Panthers don’t have many intimidating presences on their entire defense, which is why Atlanta was able to average over 200 yards on the ground versus Carolina last season.
• Getting Michael Penix Jr. and this vertical passing game going should also be a focal point. The Falcons faced two very good pass rushes along with great defensive coordinators in the first two weeks. The Panthers don’t have any of that, and Atlanta’s receiving core should be inching towards 100% after dealing with multiple injuries. In Penix’s one start versus Carolina last season, he threw for a career-high 312 yards with three total touchdowns.

X-Factor: Tyler Allgeier

How about some love for the best #2 running back in football. Allgeier was a huge factor in the Falcons win over the Vikings, toting the rock 16 times for 76 yards and a touchdown. Those are similar numbers to what he did last year in the two games against the Panthers, combining for 157 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. The balance he offers the Falcons rushing attack is not talked enough, and he should have another big game come Sunday.

Prediction

There doesn’t have to be a lot of back and forth when analyzing this game. It’s a road divisional contest against players that get paid, which means nothing is a given. That said, the Falcons are a significantly better football team in every aspect. There is no area where the Panthers hold an advantage, and the scoreboard should reflect that around 4:00 PM on Sunday afternoon.

Falcons 34, Panthers 17

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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