ATL Week 11: Falcons vs Panthers Preview

New Defense, Who Dat?

Coming into week 10 with an NFL-low seven sacks, the Falcons pass rush was looking very weak. However, new defensive play-callers Jeff Ulbrich (LBs Coach) and Raheem Morris (DBs Coach) made a roadkill of a defense into one of the scariest pass rushes we’ve seen. New Orleans offensive line allowed six sacks, which almost totaled the Falcons’ sacks on the season. Grady Jarrett was unstoppable, posting 2 1/2 sacks on the day.

Notably, fourth-round draft pick CB Kendall Sheffield played amazingly, recording a coverage grade of 89.9. His recent play is earning him plenty of recognition among coaches and looks to be a significant factor for the Falcons secondary. With Trufant still injured, Sheffield and Oliver have had to pick up the load, and Sheffield has been the producer.

For Falcons vs. Panthers, this defense will need to bring the heat again. Carolina’s offensive line is much weaker than New Orleans, but they are not to be slept on. Blocking run lanes for McCaffery is of the utmost importance as he is what is winning Carolina games. Their pass blocking isn’t that great, getting ripped apart by the 49ers two weeks ago. Atlanta should look to capitalize on a weak passing attack to shut down Carolina. If they can stuff the run game, Atlanta will have another stout game on the defense.

Finally Good Play Calling?

Once Dirk Koetter was named offensive coordinator, Falcons fans were jumping for joy. However, Koetter has had some questionable play-calling up until this point. Sunday proved the opposite. Koetter and the Falcons offense were very fluent against a pretty strong Saints defense. Against the Panthers, his play-calling will once again need to be top-notch, with a considerable emphasis on the run.

The Falcons may have found their new kicker in Younghoe Koo. Koo went perfect on four field-goal attempts and two extra points, which resulted in Koo winning NFC Special Teams Player of the week. Koo probably took some of the pressure off Dirk Koetter, making the offense look productive more than Bryant did. The Falcons had two drives resulting in touchdowns. Touchdown passes were thrown to the tight end Hooper and running back Hill.

Speaking of Hill, with Freeman out for a couple of weeks and Smith on IR, Hill will assume the starting role. The Panthers rush defense has been getting gashed all season. Hill has been showing promise, and this week could be a massive breakout for the young RB.

The Falcons also lost Austin Hooper to an MCL sprain. This means that unfortunately Luke Stocker will be starting. However, preseason star Jaeden Graham will see a lot of action. He may be a sneaky target for Matt Ryan and could show off his potential against Carolina.

Predictions

OFFENSE

Young backups RB Brian Hill and TE Jaeden Graham are poised for a massive breakout this week. They are both going to see a lot of action in the upcoming weeks, and both have shown potential. Hill is a snaky FLEX start in fantasy this week, ESPECIALLY in DFS. The usual crew of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Calvin Ridley should run over Carolina. The offense has not been the problem for Atlanta this season, and that won’t change on Sunday.

DEFENSE

After a huge showing against the Saints, the defense must be feeling hot. Ulbrich and Morris must have another week of great calls and push the pass rush harder against a weaker o-line. However, CMC is a massive threat, and containing him is almost impossible. Unfortunately, that’s the only way to stop Carolina on offense. The pass rush was terrific last week. The run game must be stopped this week. McCaffery will get his scores, but this could turn out to be an “off” week for CMC.

KICKING

Younghoe Koo will look amazing again and Atlanta’s kicking woes will be permanently put to rest.

SCORE: Falcons 27 – Carolina 17

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