Saturday, December 24, 2016

Bank of America Stadium

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The Atlanta Falcons take on the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, December 24, 2016 at Bank of America Stadium. The opening line for this game has Atlanta as 3.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 53. The Falcons are 9-5-0 against the spread and their over/under record is 12-2-0. The Panthers have an over/under record of 7-7-0 and they are 5-8-1 against the spread.

Matt Ryan finished with 286 yards through the air for Atlanta last week. He completed 17 passes out of 23 attempts for a 74% completion percentage. The Falcons were led in rushing by Devonta Freeman, who finished with 139 yards on 20 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 7 yards per carry. Aldrick Robinson was the team leader in receiving with a total of 111 yards and 4 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 28 yards per reception. As a team in that game Atlanta got a total of 29 first downs. Of those first downs, 10 came on the ground while 17 came through the air. They ran 66 total plays for 550 yards for the game. The Falcons ran for 248 yards on 41 attempts.

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Cam Newton finished with 300 yards passing for Carolina last week. He went 21 for 37, resulting in a 57% completion percentage. The Panthers were led on the ground by Jonathan Stewart, who finished with 132 yards on 25 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. Greg Olsen led the team in receiving with 85 yards and 6 catches. He finished the game with an average of 14 yards per reception. Carolina had 22 first downs total. 6 came from running the ball and 15 came from a pass. They ran 72 total plays for 438 yards for the contest. The Panthers ran for 148 yards on 33 carries as a team.

Atlanta scores 34 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 1st in the NFL. In the passing department, they average 23 passes on 33 attempts for a 70% completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 296 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 3rd in the league. The Falcons run for an average of 117 yards per game on 27 attempts for an average of 4.3 yards per carry. That ranks them 8th in the league. They also run 63 plays per contest and average 6.6 yards per play for an average of 413 yards per game, ranking their offense 2nd overall this season. The Falcons average 24 first downs per game which ranks them 2nd in the NFL. They accumulate 52.9 penalty yards per game via 6.4 penalties, which ranks 13th in the league.

Atlanta allows 267 passing yards per game, ranking 30th, and they allow 26 points per contest on defense, which ranks 27th. They give up 27 completions on 40 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 68%. The Falcons allow 102 rushing yards per game on 23 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 15th in the NFL. Atlanta allows 369 total yards per game including 5.6 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 25th in terms of yards per game. They get flagged for 7.4 penalties for 62.9 yards per game, ranking them 25th among NFL teams.

Carolina averages 24 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 14th in the league. In the passing department, they complete 19 passes per game on 35 attempts for a 54% completion percentage. They throw for 235 yards through the air per game, ranking them 19th. The Panthers run for an average of 112 yards per game on 28 attempts for an average of 4 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 12th on the ground. They also run 66 plays per game and average 5.3 yards per play for a total of 347 yards per game, ranking them 17th in the league on offense. The Panthers get an average of 20 first downs per game, which ranks 17th. They average 54.7 penalty yards per game via 6.4 penalties, ranking them 21st in the NFL.

Carolina allows an average of 275 passing yards per game, which ranks 32nd in the league. Their defense overall allows 25 points per contest, which has them ranked 25th. They give up 26 completions on 39 attempts for a completion percentage of 67% per game. The Panthers allow 86 rushing yards per contest on 23 carries for a 3.7 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 3rd in the NFL. Carolina allows 361 total yards per game for an average of 5.5 yards per play, which ranks 22nd in the league. They force 7.2 penalties for 59.4 yards in each contest, ranking 24th.

Atlanta Betting Trends

Atlanta is 12-2-0 against the over/under this season

Atlanta has an ATS record of 9-5-0 this season

Carolina Betting Trends

Carolina is 7-7-0 against the over/under this season

Carolina has an ATS record of 5-8-1 this season

Injuries to Watch

Atlanta

12/19/16 TE Austin Hooper Knee injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Carolina
12/19/16 LB De'Vondre Campbell Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Carolina
12/18/16 CB Jalen Collins Knee "?" Saturday vs. Carolina
12/18/16 WR Julio Jones Toe "?" Saturday vs. Carolina
12/18/16 S Robenson Therezie Ankle "?" Saturday vs. Carolina
12/16/16 S Kemal Ishmael Shoulder IR
11/30/16 DE Adrian Clayborn MCL expected to miss 3-5 weeks
11/27/16 CB Desmond Trufant Pectoral out for season
11/23/16 TE Jacob Tamme Shoulder IR
10/19/16 DE Derrick Shelby Calf IR
10/03/16 LB Sean Weatherspoon Achilles IR
09/02/16 WR Devin Fuller Shoulder IR

Carolina

12/20/16 DE Charles Johnson Hamstring "?" Saturday vs. Atlanta
12/19/16 T Daryl Williams Ankle "?" Saturday vs. Atlanta
12/19/16 LB Luke Kuechly Concussion "?" Saturday vs. Atlanta
11/29/16 C Gino Gradkowski Knee IR
11/29/16 C Ryan Kalil Shoulder IR
11/25/16 OT Michael Oher Concussion IR
10/28/16 CB Teddy Williams Knee IR
10/07/16 CB Bene Benwikere None has been released
09/23/16 S Dean Marlowe Hamstring IR
08/31/16 WR LaRon Byrd Concussion IR

Josh's Pick: Take Atlanta -3.5

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