ESPN Predicts Atlanta Falcons to Continue Winning Ways vs. Carolina Panthers

The Atlanta Falcons (1-1) make the short trip up I-85 on Sunday to take on the Carolina Panthers (0-2) at 1:00 p.m. on FOX. The Falcons are coming off a win against the Minnesota Vikings, in which they dominated the lines of scrimmage.

The Falcons had six sacks on defense and rushed for 218 yards. The last time Atlanta was in Charlotte, the Falcons bullied the Panthers, pulling away in the second half behind 200 yards and three touchdowns from running backs Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson.

Allgeier walked away with NFL Network's "angry run" award after the win.

After a brief renaissance following his benching last season, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and his Carolina Panthers are struggling again. Raising all sorts of questions about his long-term future with the team.

ESPN analysts, reporter Pamela Maldonado, fantasy analyst Eric Moody, and analytics writer Seth Walder, predict the Falcons will continue to heap more misery on the Panthers. They've unanimously picked the Falcons to win on Sunday.

Fair warning: they also unanimously picked the Vikings to cruise by the Falcons last Sunday night.

ESPN's Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers Predictions:

Maldonado's pick: Falcons 21, Panthers 14
Moody's pick: Falcons 24, Panthers 17
Walder's pick: Falcons 23, Panthers 21
FPI prediction: ATL, 56.4% (by an average of 2.6 points)

The Falcons are 5.5-point favorites on Sunday, and according to ESPN Research, the Panthers have covered five straight games as home underdogs. The Falcons and Raheem Morris broke an unflattering trend last week. Until they beat the Vikings on Sunday, Morris was 1-5 against the spread with the Falcons.

Young played a big role in the Panthers' season finale win over the Falcons last season, but Panthers beat writer David Newton knows things are different with this Atlanta defense.

"QB Bryce Young had arguably the best performance of his career in the 2024 season finale against the Falcons, throwing for 252 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for two more," Newton wrote on ESPN. "The key was that Atlanta never seriously pressured him, but things are different this week. Young is facing an Atlanta defense that found its groove last week with six sacks in a win over Minnesota."

Statistically speaking, the Falcons are No. 2 in total defense, No. 2 in scoring defense, No. 2 in turnover differential, and have the third-highest sack total in the NFL.

The Panthers are 28th in the NFL in rushing after two games, and the Falcons will be happy to turn loose a wave of pass rushers against the one dimensional offense.

Falcons' wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney are another week healthier after playing banged up against the Vikings, but the Panthers have given up the eighth-most rushing yards after two weeks.

The Falcons should follow the same formula they did in Minnesota: a devastating rushing attack, good special teams, and a ferocious pass rush to come away from Carolina with the win.

Atlanta Falcons: 27
Carolina Panthers: 13