bijan-vs-panthers.jpg
Imagn Images

The 5-5 Carolina Panthers are traveling to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the 3-6 Atlanta Falcons this week in an NFC South showdown. The Panthers are in second place in the division, while the Falcons are in third. An Atlanta loss likely would be devastating to the Falcons' hopes of playing beyond the regular season.

The Panthers, meanwhile, are coming off a loss to the New Orleans Saints that never should've happened. In the 17-7 defeat, quarterback Bryce Young clearly didn't get much production going for the offense as he only produced 124 yards passing, despite finishing 17 of 25 passing with no touchdowns, one interception and a fumble.

The Falcons are also coming off a loss, but a much closer one and against a better team. Atlanta needed overtime with Indianapolis to decide the winner in last week's Berlin game, although the Colts pulled out the win to extended the Falcons losing streak to four games.

Here's a look at how to watch the game live, along with betting odds, what to know for the matchup and a prediction.

Where to watch Falcons vs. Panthers live

  • Date: Sunday, Nov. 16 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
  • Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium -- Atlanta, Georgia
  • TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Odds: Falcons -3.5; O/U 42.5 (via DraftKings)

Falcons vs. Panthers: Need to know

  • Will it matter who's house? The Falcons are clearly better at home (2-2) than they are on the road (1-4), but the Panthers recently beat the Packers at Lambeau Field, which ought to suggest that perhaps the location issue might be a draw.
  • Running backs vs. rushing defense. Let's take a look at Panthers running back Rico Dowdle vs. Falcons running back Bijan Robinson. Dowdle has 149 carries, 788 yards, five rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. The Falcons defense has allowed 1,318 rushing yards, an average of 4.9 yards per carry and eight touchdowns on the ground. This year, Robinson has 135 rushes for 679 yards, two touchdowns on the ground and two in the air. The Panthers run defense has allowed 1,119 yards this season, an average of 4.4 yards per carry and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Dowdle did not practice on Wednesday due to a quadricep injury. Last week, to maintain a good workload for the injury, he also didn't practice on Wednesday, before being upgraded to limited on Thursday and a full participant on Friday, so he could be following that same pattern.
  • Penix and London. Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Drake London have been effective this season. The QB-WR duo has 1,034 yards, and trail only the Seattle Seahawks' tandem of Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. London did not participate in Wednesday's practice due to an illness, but if he can achieve the level of success that we're used to seeing it will likely make for a long day for the Panthers' defense. 

Falcons vs. Panthers prediction, pick

The last time these teams played, the Panthers won 30-0, but I think the Falcons learned their lesson after their Week 3 dud. I'm taking Atlanta in this one in a close game. The Falcons are 37-24 all-time against the Panthers. However, if London cannot play due to the illness that kept him out of practice on Wednesday, we could be looking at a different result. Pick: Falcons -3.5; Over 42.5