Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction NFL Picks 1/5/25

Atlanta Falcons (8-8) vs Carolina Panthers (4-12)

Game Info: Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 1:00 pm (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Betting Odds: Atlanta Falcons -7.5 / Carolina Panthers +7.5 --- Over/Under: 48.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

Where to Watch: CBS

The Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons meet Sunday in NFL action from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Here’s a Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Panthers vs Falcons pick. We will examine:

The Carolina Panthers' recent form and player performance

The Atlanta Falcons' recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Carolina Panthers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Atlanta Falcons

Recent betting trends in games played between the Panthers and Falcons

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Panthers vs Falcons game

Carolina Panthers Betting Preview

The Panthers were only able to win one of their first eight games this year (over the Raiders). Carolina took out the Saints and Giants before their bye, then lost to the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Eagles, and Cowboys before another win over Arizona.

In the Tampa Bay game on Sunday, the Panthers went into the break with a 27-14 deficit. The second half was pretty miserable, as Carolina got outscored 21-0 on the way to a 48-14 defeat. The Panthers’ Bryce Young finished with 203 yards and two touchdowns, while Raheem Blackshear led the rush on a tepid 20 yards from eight carries. Tops in receiving was Adam Thielen with five grabs for 110 yards and two scores.

The Panthers are scoring just 18.6 points per game on average this year against a whopping 31.0 points per game allowed. Carolina has 19 passing touchdowns versus 15 interceptions and averages 107.7 rushing yards per game.

Atlanta Falcons Betting Preview

Over on the Falcons’ side, they went into their bye week with a 6-5 record. Atlanta fell to the Steelers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Saints, and Broncos in that time. Losses to the Chargers and Vikings came next, then a pair of wins over the Raiders and Giants.

Matched up against the Commanders on Sunday night, the Falcons played a tight one. Atlanta went into halftime with a 17-7 edge, but then got outscored 17-7 during the second and had to go to overtime. Atlanta would eventually lose 30-24 in a tough outcome. QB Michael Penix finished with 223 yards, one TD, and one interception. Bijan Robinson led the rush with his 17 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns, and Drake London added seven receptions for 106 yards. Kyle Pitts caught the score among his four grabs for 44 yards.

The Falcons average 21.9 points per game this year and they’re allowing 23.7 points per game on the other side. Atlanta has just one more passing touchdown (19) than they do interceptions this year.

Why the Atlanta Falcons will win

  • The Panthers have lost each of their last 11 road games against NFC opponents.
  • The Falcons have won five of their last six January home games against NFC opponents.
  • The Panthers have failed to cover the spread in five of their last six road games against NFC opponents.
  • The Falcons have covered the spread in three of their last four Sunday games against teams that held a losing record.
  • The Falcons have won the first half in eight of their last nine games as favorites following a loss.

Why the Carolina Panthers will win

  • The Falcons have lost three of their last four games as home favorites following a road loss.
  • Tommy Tremble's team has won four of its five previous games with him playing against Kaden Elliss.
  • The Falcons have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games after coming off overtime.
  • The Panthers have covered the spread in each of their last four games as underdogs following a loss.

Total Points Facts

  • Each of the Panthers' last six Sunday games played on the East Coast have gone OVER the total points line.
  • Seven of the last eight Sunday games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium have gone UNDER the total points line.
  • Seven of the Falcons' last eight Sunday home games have gone UNDER the total points line.

Atlanta Falcons Player Prop Facts

  • Kirk Cousins has recorded 307+ passing yards in four of his last five appearances with his team as a home favorite against NFC South opponents.
  • Bijan Robinson has recorded 86+ rushing yards in seven of the Falcons' last eight games as favorites.
  • Bijan Robinson has recorded 111+ rushing and receiving yards in each of the Falcons' last four games as favorites following a road loss.
  • Bijan Robinson has scored two touchdowns in three of the Falcons' last four games against NFC opponents.
  • Bijan Robinson has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Falcons' last four games against NFC opponents.
  • Kyle Pitts has recorded 28+ receiving yards in each of the Falcons' last six games against the Panthers.
  • Kirk Cousins has recorded 23+ completions in 17 of his last 21 home appearances against NFC opponents.
  • Kirk Cousins has thrown three or more touchdowns in three of his last five appearances with his team as a home favorite against NFC South opponents.
  • Heading into Week 18, Kirk Cousins has recorded the most passing yards in a single game this season (509 vs Buccaneers, Week 5).

Carolina Panthers Player Prop Facts

  • Adam Thielen has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Panthers' last three games played as underdogs on the East Coast.
  • David Moore has recorded 17+ receiving yards in each of the Panthers' last nine Sunday games.
  • Bryce Young has recorded 17+ rushing yards in five of the Panthers' last six Sunday games as underdogs.
  • Xavier Legette has recorded 39+ rushing and receiving yards in five of his last six appearances with the Panthers as underdogs.
  • Jordan Fuller is just three away from 10 career interceptions.

Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons Prediction

I’ll stay with Atlanta. The Falcons have plenty of motivation coming into this one. In a fairly weird scenario, Atlanta (and their 8-8 record) still has a shot at winning the NFC South with a win here paired with a Buccaneers loss. The Falcons are nowhere near a Wild Card, so this is their only shot.

Atlanta needs a better effort here than they got against a pretty darn good Washington team in their last outing. The Falcons finished with a tepid 337 yards and 23 first downs, giving up 412 yards and 29 first downs on the other side. Were it not for the Commanders’ 13 penalties for 108 yards, the game likely would have been decided in regulation. In any case, Atlanta has 24 or fewer points in six of their last seven games (a 2-5 run) so it’d be nice to see a big total here.

As for Carolina, they’ve got very little to look forward to here after having been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs quite some time ago. The Panthers looked pretty listless against Tampa Bay, notching just 204 yards (165 passing) and 13 first downs in their blowout loss. That makes 16 or fewer points in three of the last four games.

The last time these teams met up was a 38-20 Falcons win back on October 13. Atlanta has everything to play for in this rematch and doesn’t deserve to go to the playoffs if they lose.

Andrew’s Pick Atlanta Falcons -7.5

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The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

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