The Carolina Panthers (12-0) are in uncharted territory. Last week, with the division wrapped up before they even took the field, the Panthers held off the Saints in a typical, hard-fought divisional game. This week their eyes turn toward a first round bye and continued perfection. In their way is another divisional opponent who has somewhat disappointed so far this season. The Atlanta Falcons (6-6) are still fighting for their playoff lives, so expect another tightly contested match.

Defensively, while no one is as bad as the Saints, the Falcons have definitely not been world beaters. The Falcons are middle of the road in both yards and points allowed. The Panthers' balanced attack should work well, as the Falcons are not necessarily strong against the run or the pass. With the Panthers' recent success offensively, there should be plenty of opportunities to put points on the board.

Panthers Passing Offense

Cam Newton threw for five touchdowns for the second time in three games last weekend and cemented himself as the front runner for the MVP award. The passing game could have been even more explosive had Ted Ginn not dropped two more long touchdown passes. While I do not foresee another stat-padding performance happening again this week, the passing offense should be quite effective. When given time to throw, Cam has been able to find the right read and get the ball to the open man. The Falcons do not have much of a pass rush (dead last in the league with only 13 sacks), so the Panthers' offensive line should be able to provide Cam with plenty of time when he drops back to pass. The one place the Falcons' defense does excel is picking the ball off, where they are tied for fifth in the league with 14 interceptions on the year. If Cam can take care of the ball, the passing offense should be just fine.

Panthers Rushing Offense

The Panthers are third in the NFL in rushing yards with just under 142 per game, and still lead the league in rushing percent, keeping the ball on the ground 52.54% of the time. Jonathan Stewart is a good game or two from eclipsing the thousand yard rushing mark for the season and Cam Newton has added almost 500 yards on the ground of his own. The Falcons are currently twelfth in the league in rushing yards allowed with 102.6 yards allowed per game. They do not excel at the Peanut Punch, either, as the Falcons have only forced eight fumbles on the year. Atlanta also ranks 26th in PFF's missed tackles per snap, so Jonathan Stewart might have a field day. Overall, the Falcons' rush defense does not exactly instill fear so the Panthers should be able to continue imposing their will on the ground.

Injury Report

Panthers Offense

WR Brenton Bersin - groin (Q)

Falcons Defense

S Ricardo Allen - shin (P)

S Kemal Ishmael - shoulder (P)

DT Paul Soliai - calf (Q)

Last Word

Both teams come into the game relatively healthy but their seasons are heading in opposite directions. The Panthers offense has been surprisingly explosive of late while the Falcons defense has struggled. We witnessed first hand last week why you should never take divisional games lightly, and this game is no different. The Falcons playoff hopes are becoming desperate, so their backs could be against the wall. That being said, this should be a favorable match up for the Panthers. I look for CaMVP to do CaMVP things, Greg Olsen to have his usual game, and Jonathan Stewart to feast on the ground. The Panthers came out flat last week but were able to come from behind to stay perfect. I do not expect them to struggle early again. I look for last week to be a wake up call for the team as they improve to 13-0 and clinch a first round bye in the playoffs.