Not many would have expected the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons to be tied for the division lead coming into week four of the 2008 season, but surprisingly enough, these two teams will face off Sunday, in the Panther’s first division action of the season.

After getting soundly beaten last week, the Panthers are entering a stretch of the season where they play four of the next five games at home.  These upcoming home games will be key for the Panthers because if they can win at least four out of the next five games, that will put them at a solid 6-2 going into their bye.

But, you have to take everything one step at a time, one game at a time.  The Panthers are facing a much improved Falcons team that features a very solid backfield with Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood.  Defensively the  Panthers may have their hands full, but Jake Delhomme and the offense shouldn’t have too much trouble getting things going with Travelle Wharton coming back and Steve Smith done shaking some rust off.

Keys to the Game

1. Contain Micheal Turner- So far this season the Panthers have yet to allow a 100 yard rusher, and that can’t change Sunday.  Micheal Turner has done a great job in making Matt Ryan’s job easier, but the Falcon’s game against Tampa Bay showed that Ryan is still a rookie quarterback, and is going to struggle if he doesn’t have a solid running game behind him.  Besides, in the two other games the Falcons played Matt Ryan was playing against two of the worst defenses in the NFL.

2. Establish the run early- With Travelle Wharton out the past two games, the running game has struggled.  Now that Wharton is back, the Panthers need to immediately start pounding the ball and getting a running game going.  This will open up those big pass plays down the field, and hopefully get Delhomme and Smith clicking.  The Falcons rank 23rd against the run, so establishing the line of scrimmage shouldn’t be nearly as difficult as it has been the last two weeks against Chicago and Minnesota, who rank 4th and 5th against the run respectively.

3. Pressure Matt Ryan- If the Panthers can take away Michael Turner, then the next step should be to get some pressure on Matt Ryan.  Sack wise that Panthers have been just a hair off all season.  The defensive line has been getting pressure and hitting the quarterback, but failing to come up with a lot of sacks, which has hurt them, especially on that long throw by Gus Frerotte last week where he should have been sacked in the backfield.  Ryan has been playing great, but he is a rookie quarterback and is going to make mistakes.  If Julius Peppers and company can get up in his face and make him uncomfortable, the Panthers secondary will have a much easier time defending and intercepting balls.

Even though the Falcons are improved, they aren’t as good as their two wins suggest.  The Panthers need to use this game to really get their offense clicking, and should be able to utilize all of their weapons.

Panthers 31 Falcons 13

Tags: atlanta falcons, carolina panthers, Jake Delhomme