Kirk Cousins, Atlanta look to take advantage of Carolina’s red zone defense in NFC South matchup

Atlanta (3-2) at Carolina (1-4)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Falcons by 6.

Against the spread: Falcons 2-3, Panthers 1-4.

Series record: Falcons lead 36-22.

Last meeting: Panthers beat Falcons 9-7 on Dec. 17, 2023 in Charlotte.

Last week: Falcons beat Buccaneers 36-30; Panthers lost 36-10 to Bears.

Falcons offense: overall (10), rush (26), pass (6), scoring (17)

Falcons defense: overall (18), rush (29), pass (9), scoring (t-20)

Panthers offense: overall (25), rush (19), pass (26), scoring (29)

Panthers defense: overall (28), rush (27), pass (22), scoring (32)

Turnover differential: Falcons plus-4; Panthers minus-3.

Falcons player to watch

TE Kyle Pitts had season highs with seven receptions for 88 yards in last week’s win over Tampa Bay. The big production came in a game QB Kirk Cousins attempted 58 passes and threw for a team-record 509 yards, so the test will be what role Pitts plays in the passing game in a more normal game script. Before last week, Pitts had not had more than three catches in a game. He has one TD catch this season.

Panthers player to watch

RB Chuba Hubbard has averaged 105 yards on the ground with two touchdowns rushing over the past three games, including a 38-yard scamper last week. He has been one of the rare bright spots for Carolina. He also has 13 receptions for 70 yards and a TD over that same stretch, showing his versatility out of the backfield. The Canadian-born Hubbard is averaging more than 6 yards per carry over the past four games.

Key matchup

QB Kirk Cousins vs. Panthers red zone defense: Kirk Cousins and the Falcons have only scored touchdowns on 43% of their trips into the opponent’s red zone, which ranks 28th in the league. However, the Panthers could serve as the perfect elixir for those woes. Carolina’s defense has allowed opponents to score touchdowns 88% of the time they cross the 20. Carolina’s banged-up defense has allowed 20 touchdowns and a league-high 165 points.

Key injuries

Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday CB Dee Alford is “looking good” as he goes through the concussion protocol. Alford’s outlook for this week remains uncertain. The Falcons have opened the window on LB Nate Landman, who was placed on short-term injured reserve on Sept. 16 with a quadriceps and calf injury. The team has 21 days to make a decision on returning Landman to the active roster. Meanwhile, Morris said LB Troy Andersen (knee) is “day to day” after missing last week’s game. ... The lost DE Derrick Brown, LBs Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell and WR Adam Thielen to injuries prior to last week and then had five more players leave Sunday’s game at Chicago. That included C Austin Corbett, who is out for the season after tearing his biceps. Right tackle Taylor Moton’s streak of 120 straight games played will come to an end on Sunday as he’s out with a triceps injury. TE Tommy Tremble (concussion) is also expected to miss the game, although OLB Jadeveon Clowney and WR Xavier Legette are expected to play. In a small bit of good news, the Panthers could get TE Ian Thomas and CB Dane Jackson back on the field this week after both started the season on IR.

Series notes

The home team has won the past four games in the series. … The Falcons are 15-14 against the Panthers in Charlotte. ... The Panthers defeated the Falcons at home last year 9-7 on a field goal by Eddy Pineiro as time expired.

Stats and stuff

Though Matt Ryan had his previous Falcons record of 503 passing yards in a game topped by Cousins on the night Ryan was inducted to the team’s Ring of Honor, Ryan still has a strong place in the team records. Ryan holds 17 of the Falcons’ top 25 passing yard totals for a single game. … WR Darnell Mooney had a career-best two TD catches last week while having nine receptions for 105 yards. … S Jessie Bates III led the Falcons with eight tackles last week and had his first career game with two forced fumbles. … The Falcons are the only team with two players among the league’s top 14 in receiving yards: Drake London, 12th, 354 yards and Mooney, 14th, 330. … Two Atlanta defensive rookies had their first stats last week. ILB JD Bertrand had five tackles and DL Ruke Orhorhoro had three tackles. ... The Panthers have the worst record in the league since the start of the 2018 season. ... C Brady Christensen and RT Yosh Nijman will make their first starts of the season. ... After being targeted 27 times and having 15 catches for 205 yards and two TDs the previous two games, WR Diontae Johnson was a non-factor against the Bears last week with three catches for 23 yards on six targets. ... Rookie WR Jalen Coker reeled in a 31-yard catch for the first reception of his career last Sunday and finished the game with a team-high four receptions for 68 yards. ... Rookie LB Trevin Wallace made his first career start on Sunday and led the Panthers with 15 tackles (10 solo), which was a career high. Wallace joins Luke Kuechly as the only Panthers to have 15-plus tackles in a single game as a rookie. ... CB Jaycee Horn was ejected last week for fighting with a Bears player in the end zone after his team fell behind by 26 points.

Fantasy tip

The Falcons have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing kickers this season, which could be good news for Pineiro if the Panthers can stay close and not get blown out.

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