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Carolina Panthers Vs. Atlanta Falcons: Which NFC South Team Will Have Last Laugh?

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 03:12 PST, Dec 28, 2014

The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons meet under the most unusual circumstances.

Yes, both teams are still vying for the NFC South and a playoff spot. But that aside, they are in the unique position of doing so with losing records.

If either team were in any other NFL division, their season would already be over. However, the Panthers and Falcons find themselves part of the worst division performance in quite some time. Possibly ever.

However, none of that will matter when the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons meet. It’s hard to grasp which team will head into Sunday’s meeting with the psychological upper hand.

What few victories Atlanta had over the course of their 2014 season came from beating other struggling NFC South teams. The only exception was an upset of the far more successful Arizona Cardinals.

The fact that the Falcons have been so dominant against other teams in their division may lead some to speculate that it will be more of the same when they face the Panthers.

However, the Panthers have maintained something of a “dark horse” standing in the NFC South. Even though much of the attention was focused on the rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers managed to stay close to the action.

The Saints were knocked out of contention for the division title and a playoff spot by the Falcons last week. Now, Atlanta is hoping to give Carolina the same treatment.

Carolina may not be as easy to beat as the Saints.

The Panthers have had a perfect December thus far, and are in the midst of a winning streak. It’s important to note that two of those victories came via the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. Although the Carolina Panthers beat the Cleveland Browns, it’s not as though the Browns are a truly formidable NFL team.

In other words, it is as difficult to gauge the significance of the Carolina Panthers’ win streak as it is that of the Atlanta Falcons’ supposed dominance in their division.

It is known that Falcons running back Steven Jackson will likely miss the game due to a quadriceps injury.

Carolina Panthers are fortunate to have quarterback Cam Netwon as a starting option following a horrific car accident.

No one would have anticipated a game between two teams with six wins each as the match to watch on Sunday. However, the Atlanta Falcons v. Carolina Panthers match-up promises to be an exciting affair.

[Image Credit: Atlanta Falcons Official YouTube]

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