Every season is about learning a lesson. I’m tired of every season having the same lesson, though.
Welcome to our weekly game pick series where I will attempt to guide you through picking every Carolina Panthers game of the 2024 season. A rare early season win against the Las Vegas Raiders and an almost close loss to the Cincinnati Bengals had fans moderately interested in an offense that fits in “the modern NFL”. Now most of us are just waiting for the Falcons to rip the final piece of our mask off like some discount Scooby Doo villain to reveal the Panthers as just another owner of a sad, dilapidated carnival.
Last week, I picked the Panthers to overcome the Chicago Bears and boy have I learned my lesson. My logic then had been that Caleb Williams, while a budding star, has not yet come into his full bloom. Andy Dalton, on the other hand, is a savvy veteran who had already displayed the ability to captain this offense against a solid defense. I did not weigh heavily enough the Panthers duct-tape-and-spit defense nor account for the possiblity of a terrible offensive gameplan.
I won’t make the same mistake this week. The Atlanta Falcons have a whole team, which gives them an immediate advantage over the Panthers. They are also playing in Charlotte, which will effectively be a neutral site.
There is also an unfortunate mismatch at quarterback in this game. Dalton has been playing mostly good, mistake-free football. That’s really all Dave Canales and the Panthers staff want out of him. Kirk Cousins, meanwhile, is only warming up in Atlanta. Both quarterbacks are 36-years old, but Cousins has the stronger supporting cast right now and the higher ceiling.
Yes, Cousins did throw 58 times on his frail and elderly arm last week, but it was a Thursday Night Football game. He will have had ten days to rest and rehabilitate himself prior to Sunday’s kickoff.
I think the edge here may have to go to the team that is actually fielding most of its originally intended starters. That’s why my FanDuel pick for Week 5 is the Atlanta Falcons.