Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Sunday, December 12, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Falcons -7
Current Line: Falcons -7.5
Opening Total: 42
Current Total: 42.5
Money Line: Falcons -320 / Panthers +260
The Atlanta Falcons (10-2) continue their journey away from home by playing the second of three straight road games on Sunday when they visit the Carolina Panthers (1-11). The Falcons (-7.5) are coming off a big divisional road win at Tampa Bay last week and will look to avoid a letdown in this spot against Carolina.
Atlanta still holds the top seed in the NFC playoff race and has the easiest schedule of any contender the rest of the way. The toughest challenge for the Falcons will be trying to find a way to win their last three road games before finishing off the regular season with home games against the Saints and Panthers. The team is a perfect 6-0 at home and had gone 19-1 at the Georgia Dome in quarterback Matt Ryan’s starts there.
Ryan proved he is clutch on the road as well as at home in a 28-24 victory against the Bucs last Sunday. He overcame a pair of interceptions to throw the game-winning touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins with 4:31 left. That play came a little over five minutes following a 102-yard kickoff return for a score by Eric Weems after Atlanta had trailed 24-14 early in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons ride a six-game winning streak into Charlotte and have won 10 of 11 since losing 15-9 at Pittsburgh in overtime. They have covered each of their last four games with the OVER going 6-1 in their last seven. The OVER has also cashed in the last four games for the Panthers, who have dropped six in a row and return home after playing three of four on the road.
Carolina is 1-5 against the spread during the skid and has been crushed in five of six home games this season. All five home losses have been decided by at least 13 points, with the last two won by Baltimore and New Orleans by a combined 55 points.
The Panthers got off to a surprisingly good start last week in an eventual 31-14 loss at Seattle, scoring the game’s first 14 points before getting blown out. The combination of running backs Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson again produced on the ground, totaling 112 yards on 24 carries between them with each one scoring a touchdown.
However, rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen continues to struggle for the Panthers. Clausen completed 18 of 34 passes for 169 yards with no touchdowns and one interception against the Seahawks, and he found wide receivers Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell just six times for 87 yards despite targeting them on 17 attempts.
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