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DOWN X DOWN › week 18 › Falcons at Panthers
Updated Nov 2, 5:48 PM ET
2026
2026this season2025final

Week 18 · Sunday 1:00 PM ET · Bank of America Stadium

ATLvsCAR

Falcons offensevsPanthers defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 8 games for Falcons, 7 for Panthers. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

ATL offenseCAR offense
Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Ground game edge

Falcons average 4.7 yards per carry (5th). Panthers allow 4.6 (27th).

02
Opportunity

Short middle is open

Panthers are worst against short middle throws, allowing +0.29 EPA per attempt. Falcons send 16% of their throws there.

03
Watch out

Tight ends go quiet

Panthers give up 47 yards a game to tight ends (12th), against a league average of 55. Falcons' tight ends produce 37 (26th).

04
Wash

Yards per play

Call this one even. Falcons gain 5.6 yards per play (13th). Panthers give up 5.4 (19th), with the league at 5.4.

Players to watch

ATL Falcons

9Michael Penix Jr.QB · 104/168 · 1282 yds · 9 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback +0.02 · 21st7Bijan RobinsonRB · 150 car · 780 yds · 5 TD · 25 recEPA per touch -0.075Drake LondonWR · 39 rec · 624 yds · 1 TD · 62 tgtEPA per target +0.408Kyle PittsTE · 22 rec · 197 yds · 4 TD · 32 tgtEPA per target +0.0653Kendal DanielsLeft Inside Linebacker · 52 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD1 INT26C.J. HendersonRight Cornerback · 39 tackles · 8 PD8 passes defended · T-7th in the NFL

CAR Panthers

9Bryce YoungQB · 158/269 · 1921 yds · 13 TD · 5 INTEPA per dropback +0.06 · 17th30Chuba HubbardRB · 118 car · 540 yds · 7 TD · 22 recEPA per touch +0.14 · 4th4Tetairoa McMillanWR · 42 rec · 569 yds · 2 TD · 65 tgtEPA per target +0.3518Jalen CokerWR · 27 rec · 364 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgtEPA per target +0.1955Devin LloydLeft Inside Linebacker · 45 tackles · 2 sacks · 2 INT · 3 PD2 INT · T-11th in the NFL58Bobby OkerekeRight Inside Linebacker · 48 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 5 PD1 INT
The series · Falcons and Panthers since 1999, and this season's records55 meetings

The Falcons lead the series 33–22 since 1999. The Panthers have won the last 4. Sep 20, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: the Panthers won 34–3. Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback for the Falcons and Bryce Young for the Panthers; Raheem Morris and Dave Canales coached.

Falcons at home18–10the Falcons' record
In Carolina15–12the Falcons' record
Most pointsFalcons 48 · Panthers 442016 · 2005
Biggest winFalcons by 41 · Panthers by 382002 · 2015

The last 5

2026 · Wk 2CAR 34 at ATL 3
2025 · Wk 11 · OTCAR 30 at ATL 27
2025 · Wk 3ATL 0 at CAR 30
2024 · Wk 18 · OTCAR 44 at ATL 38
2024 · Wk 6ATL 38 at CAR 20

2026 records

FalconsPanthers
Overall3–53–4
Division1–21–1
Conference3–33–3
Other conference0–20–1
Home1–31–2
Away2–22–2
Last 5WLLWLLWWLL
StreakLost 1Lost 2
Points a game21.4 – 23.625.4 – 27.6

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Falcons' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Falcons offense against the Panthers defenseDepth charts
Panthers defense · 3-4 DFalcons offense · 3WR 1TE70Matthews65Bergeron64Neuzil63Lindstrom71Taylor8Pitts9Penix7Robinson5London14Zaccheaus4Dotson98Wharton92Hunter95Brown91Jones5Phillips58Okereke55Lloyd24Lee36DeWalt26Smith-Wade7Moehrig21Scott

Falcons offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBMichael Penix Jr.#9 · 104/168 · 1282 yds · 9 TD · 5 INT
  • RBBijan Robinson#7 · 150 car · 780 yds · 5 TD · 25 rec
  • WRDrake London#5 · 39 rec · 624 yds · 1 TD · 62 tgt
  • WRJahan Dotson#4 · 14 rec · 337 yds · 2 TD · 30 tgt
  • WROlamide Zaccheaus#14 · 5 rec · 21 yds · 0 TD · 13 tgt
  • TEKyle Pitts Sr.#8 · 22 rec · 197 yds · 4 TD · 32 tgt
  • LTJake Matthews#70
  • LGMatthew Bergeron#65
  • CRyan Neuzil#64
  • RGChris Lindstrom#63
  • RTJawaan Taylor#71

Panthers defense · Base 3-4 D

  • RDETershawn Wharton#98 · 7 tackles
  • NTLee Hunter#92 · 16 tackles
  • LDEDerrick Brown#95 · 21 tackles · 5 PD
  • WLBPatrick Jones II#91 · 11 tackles
  • SLBJaelan Phillips#5 · 10 tackles · 2.5 sacks
  • RILBBobby Okereke#58 · 48 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 5 PD
  • LILBDevin Lloyd#55 · 45 tackles · 2 sacks · 2 INT · 3 PD
  • RCBWill Lee III#24 · 33 tackles · 7 PD
  • LCBMalcolm DeWalt IV#36 · 1 tackles
  • NBChau Smith-Wade#26 · 6 tackles
  • SSTre'von Moehrig#7 · 29 tackles · 0.5 sacks
  • FSNick Scott#21 · 29 tackles · 2 PD

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · ATL offense against CAR defense
StatATL ATL offFavors ATL · Favors CARCAR CAR def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
-0.10#29
+0.03#20+0.00
Success rate
43%#15
44%#2244%
Yards per play
5.6#13
5.4#195.4
Explosive play rate
9%#17
8%#59%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
-0.18#29
+0.02#16+0.03
Sack rate
7%#18
4%#297%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.02#9
-0.01#28-0.08
Yards per carry
4.7#5
4.6#274.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
35%#29
47%#2841%
Red zone TD rate
64%#14
80%#3061%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
133#21
146#17147
TE yards per game
37#26
47#1255
TE targets per game
6.5#25
7.6#157.6
RB receiving yards per game
30#19
27#932
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Falcons: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.227% of throws
-0.333% of throws
+0.387% of throws
Short
+0.1335% of throws
-0.5216% of throws
-0.3732% of throws

Panthers: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.608 throws
+0.038 throws
-0.0522 throws
Short
+0.0168 throws
+0.2946 throws
0.0089 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.