I don’t understand how Atlanta is laying points on the road in this game – they’ve done nothing this season to prove that they should be favored on the road against any team with a winning record. The Falcons squeaked by Chicago on the road, squeaked by Detroit, got blown out vs the Patriots, and needed a comeback to beat the Jets by 5.
People are down on the Panthers after they traded away Kelvin Benjamin but in case you didn’t know this, now you do: Kelvin Benjamin was on the field for exactly 0 snaps of the Panthers NFC Championship run in 2015. Now their 2nd round pick this year, WR Curtis Samuel, from THE Ohio State University gets his chance to show his talent off. Benjamin was a great WR for Carolina but he was too similar to Devin Funchess – big body, average speed. Curtis Samuel runs a 4.31 forty and can complement Funchess on the other side of the ball and I’ll be rooting for the kid from Brooklyn to contribute today. The Panthers are 5-3 and are in a division where the Bucs and Falcons look lost…..this was NOT a trade to tank (just ask the Bills when they traded Sammy Watkins).
I don’t trust Sarkisian’s playcalling and the Falcons redzone issues are real. Luke Kuechly is back healthy and that makes a big difference. I’m on Carolina here +3 with the half point bought. 2.5 units
*Plays are rated 1 to 5 units in order of confidence
