Sunday Football Open Thread: Falcons at the #Panthers

The Panthers play the Falcons today here in Charlotte in hopes of avenging their heartbreaking loss from Week 4 where they let a lead slip away in the final few minutes of the game. If memory serves me correctly, the Cats played well in that game until the final 2 or 3 minutes. Then again, our biggest problem for the last year-plus under Coach Ron Rivera has been the failure to “finish strong.” They’ve looked better in the last three weeks, especially as Cam Newton looks to be finding his rhythm, so maybe we’ll see a different (better) outcome today than we did in the first meeting.

Sidenote: It has rained some off and on today so the field will be a bit soggy, for what it’s worth.

I don’t have my football picks with me for today but I’m pretty sure I picked the Falcons (11-1) over the Panthers (3-9) because the Falcons clearly are the better team. But I’ll still be rooting for the Panthers, especially after reading this:

The Panthers harassed Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the first meeting, sacking him seven times in Atlanta’s 30-28 win. The total tied a Panthers’ record and was the most allowed by Atlanta in Ryan’s five seasons. After the game, Fox cameras caught Ryan yelling: “Get the (expletive) off the field!” Several Panthers’ players said they haven’t forgotten Ryan’s comment and planned to make him pay. Defensive end Greg Hardy vowed to put Ryan “on the ground … where he belongs.” Buckle up.

Go get ’em, guys.

Game time is 1 pm ET and it will be broadcast on Fox in this area.