CHARLOTTE (BLACK & BLUE KICKOFF LIVE) — The Black and Blue are back at The Bank for their first of two meetings this season against the division rival Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons are atop the NFC South through five games, largely led by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, whom they signed this offseason. Cousins ​​ranks in the top five in the NFL in passing yards (1,373) and in consecutive wins against the two other NFC South teams, the Saints and Buccaneers.

If the Panthers want to keep the Falcons from really heating up, it will likely be through the air. So far, the Falcons are allowing teams to complete 74.3% of their passes, which is the highest mark in the NFL. The Panthers’ rushing attack could also find success on the ground, as Atlanta has given up the fifth-most rushing yards this season.

In the meantime, Chuba Hubbard is really heating up. In Week 6, only one person has more rushing yards than he has in the past three games (Derrick Henry), according to StatMuse. Hubbard has been fun to watch this season and another big game could be on the horizon.

Carolina won its last game against Atlanta 9-7 in December 2023, but is all-time 22-36 against them. A Panthers win today would give them back-to-back wins against the Falcons for the first time since 2014-’15 (Panthers won by a combined score of 72-3 on Dec. 28, 2024 and Dec. 13, 2015).

Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons from Bank of America Stadium starts at 4:25 PM on FOX Charlotte.

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