Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers Betting – NFL Week 8, 2020

Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season kicks off with the NFC South showdown on Thursday Night Football, as the Carolina Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 3-4 Panthers are playing above expectations and will look to bounce back from a narrow loss in Week 7. On the other side, the 1-6 Falcons are probably already out of the playoff contention, but one more loss would seal their destiny.

The excitements are guaranteed, as two divisional foes take on each other, so here’s my best Falcons vs. Panthers betting pick.

Many expected to see the Panthers bottom of the NFC South at this point of the season, but Matt Rhule’s team has done a terrific job thus far despite a couple of losses in its previous two outings.

On the other side, the Falcons are one of the most unpleasant surprises of the 2020 NFL season. Hereof, three points on the hosts are a fair decision, although this clash could easily go either way.

The Falcons are coming off a 23-22 home loss to the Detroit Lions this past Sunday. They dropped the fourth-quarter lead once more while making a ton of decision-making errors in the final 15 minutes of the game.

Todd Gurley had 23 carries for 63 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but he made a huge mistake down the stretch. Gurley scored a 10-yard TD with 1:04 left on the clock instead of falling down at the one-yard line in order to run more time off the clock.

The Falcons’ porous defense couldn’t withstand the pressure in the Lions’ final drive, and it was another heartbreaking loss for their fans. Atlanta surrenders 29.6 points per game (26^th in the NFL) on 425.9 total yards (31^st). The Falcons’ pass defense is the second-worst in football, yielding a whopping 333.4 yards per contest.

The Panthers battled bravely against the Saints on the road last weekend, but they couldn’t avoid a narrow 27-24 loss as 7-point underdogs. Carolina suffered its second straight defeat, but the Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last five outings.

Teddy Bridgewater had a good game against his former teammates, tossing for 254 yards and a couple of touchdowns. However, the Panthers racked up only 37 rushing yards while keeping their offense on the field for only 25 minutes.

Carolina is averaging 105.4 rushing yards per contest (21^st in the NFL) while still waiting for Christian McCaffrey to return from an ankle injury. CMC is listed as questionable to play Thursday, and his eventual comeback would be a massive boost for the Panthers’ offense.

The Falcons have owned the Panthers over the last few years. Atlanta is 8-2 SU and ATS in its last 10 encounters with Carolina, but the Panthers beat the Falcons 23-16 as 2.5-point road dogs in their first matchup of the season back in Week 5.

Teddy Bridgewater took advantage of Atlanta’s terrible secondary and threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns. On the other side, Matt Ryan tossed for only 226 yards and one interception, but Todd Gurley had 14 carries for 121 yards and a TD.

I expect Teddy B to torture the Falcons’ D once again, but Matty Ice should put on a much better performance. Therefore, I’m looking for a very tight battle, highly doubting the teams’ chances to win this clash by seven or more points.

If you’re satisfied with -250 odds, take the Falcons as 7-point underdogs. The Panthers will have a tall task to run efficiently, especially if Christian McCaffrey remains on the shelf.