Thursday Night Football offers another barnburner, as the Falcons travel to Ericsson Stadium to face the Panthers. Atlanta, as usual, spent last week doing ‘Ashley’ things, fooling the public into picking them only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a new heartbreaking way again. (I for one, did not bite this time, choosing to wait until later to get screwed by the Seahawks.) Meanwhile, the Panthers went into New Orleans and gave the Saints all they could handle before falling in the end. These teams met a scant three weeks ago, as Carolina pulled out a 23-16 victory. That game was a tale of two kickers, as both were exceptional in combining for 7 field goals with no misses. Carolina’s Joey Slye has a big leg with much improved accuracy. Younghoe Koo has been the Falcons best player all season. Why they don’t get him on the field is a mystery on par with why dogs and cats don’t get along. Case in point, in their last matchup, Matt Ryan forced a horrific pass in the end zone on 3rd and 16. The resulting interception instead of an automatic 3 points allowed Carolina to grind 8 minutes off the clock and play for a field goal that essentially iced the game. Both offenses put up big numbers last time, and with better use of these weapons, I see a lot of points. Thursday night overs are still 8-2 in their last ten, with last week’s losing by 2 points due to the Eagles missing a 29 field goal then foolishly chasing points. Oh, and I think Carolina might have a nice offensive piece returning, with is likely causing the Falcons brain trust game planning fits right now.
The Pick: Over 49
Leave a Reply