Bill Shanks: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers follow different paths
The Atlanta Falcons host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons have little hope in trying to make the playoffs, while the Panthers are trying to stay undefeated.
It's amazing how these two franchises have changed the past few years. Just three seasons ago, the Falcons were in a similar spot as the Panthers -- on top of the NFC. They lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game to miss playing in the Super Bowl.
The Panthers were 7-9 that season. They had finished their fourth straight non-winning season. Quarterback Cam Newton had just completed his second year, and the jury was still out on whether he would be a NFL star.
Since then, these two franchises have gone in opposite directions. The Falcons are 17-29 since losing to San Francisco, while the Panthers have won the NFC South three straight seasons and have gone 33-12.
An improved defense has been a big reason Carolina has become an elite team. Cornerback Josh Norman is becoming a great player, even with his mouth sometimes making things interesting on the field. Former Georgia Bulldogs star Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly and Kurt Coleman are having fantastic seasons.
And, of course, Newton is having a potential MVP season. He has 4,000 yards between his passing and rushing numbers, and it didn't matter that the Panthers lost a prime receiver when Kelvin Benjamin went down in August with an injury. Newton has run the offense with precision to make Carolina hard to stop.
The Falcons' defense has been better this season, but two weeks ago, we saw how leaky it still is when the Panthers put 38 points on the scoreboard. That was almost expected, considering how well the Panthers have played on offense this season. What wasn't expected, however, was for the Falcons to not score one measly point.
Atlanta finally snapped its six-game losing streak last week with a win in Jacksonville. That really didn't answer the multitude of questions that remain about first-year coordinator Kyle Shanahan's offense. It has been a mess, and to expect Atlanta to do better Sunday against a team that wants to stay undefeated is a waste of time.
Shanahan is getting blamed for Atlanta's offensive troubles, but what responsibility does Matt Ryan hold in this collapse? The Falcons started 5-0, scoring more than 30 points per game. Then in the next eight games, Atlanta scored only 14 points per game.
It's scary to wonder about Ryan, particularly with another quarterback in the same division emerging as a MVP candidate. Is Ryan just having an off year, or now that he's 30, has he passed his prime?
What a shame the Falcons didn't capitalize on their great 2012 season and reach that next level or even sustain that same success. Instead, like has happened a lot with this franchise, it slipped backwards and is now looking up at a better Carolina team.
So what will we see Sunday? Will the Falcons play hard and give it all they've got and possibly pull off the upset of the season? Or will Carolina clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and show how dominant it has become in such a short time?
It's hard to bet on the Falcons, who at the end of the season perhaps need to follow Carolina's blueprint to get back on top in the NFC South.
Listen to "The Bill Shanks Show" from 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WPLA Fox Sports 1670 AM in Macon and online at www.foxsports1670.com. Follow Bill at twitter.com/BillShanks and email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.
This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 6:07 PM with the headline "Bill Shanks: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers follow different paths ."