Falcons at Panthers: Week 18 preview, odds and injuries

Week 18 · Sun, Jan 10 · Bank of America Stadium12 AM ET

at12 AMET · TBD

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 11:52 PM ET

The Atlanta Falcons (3-6) visit the Carolina Panthers (3-5) on Sun, Jan 10, time TBD at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC (Week 18, 2026 season).

When and where is Falcons vs Panthers?

Sun, Jan 10, time TBD at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Who is injured for Falcons vs Panthers?

Falcons: Anterio Thompson (DT, out, undisclosed) and Zachariah Branch (WR, doubtful, hamstring). Panthers: Bobby Okereke (LB, questionable, foot), Damien Lewis (G, questionable, knee), Jaelan Phillips (LB, questionable, hamstring) and Will Lee III (CB, questionable, hamstring).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Falcons at Panthers: Week 18 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2027-01-10-atl-at-car (updated 2026-11-11).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 17 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Falcons pass protection vs Panthers pass rush
The Falcons' pass protection ranks 12th in sack rate (5.6% sacked, 286 dropbacks) against a Panthers pass rush ranked 32nd (3.9% of dropbacks, 308 dropbacks faced).
12thATL offense20 spots apart32ndCAR defense
2Falcons run game vs Panthers run defense
The Falcons' run game ranks 8th in EPA per rush (-0.00, 239 rushes) against a Panthers run defense ranked 25th (-0.03 allowed, 210 rushes faced).
8thATL offense17 spots apart25thCAR defense
3Panthers red-zone offense vs Falcons red-zone defense
The Panthers' red-zone offense ranks 6th in red-zone touchdown rate (66%, 29 trips) against a Falcons red-zone defense ranked 24th (67% allowed, 33 trips faced).
6thCAR offense18 spots apart24thATL defense

When the Falcons have the ballEdge ATL · +17 ranks

ATL dropback offenseEPA per dropbackCAR pass defense

28th-0.13286 dropbacks

CAR +8

+0.07 allowed308 dropbacks faced20th

ATL run gameEPA per rushCAR run defense

8th-0.00239 rushes

ATL +17

-0.03 allowed210 rushes faced25th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Panthers have the ballEdge CAR · +9 ranks

CAR dropback offenseEPA per dropbackATL pass defense

13th+0.08348 dropbacks

+0.04 allowed345 dropbacks faced15th

CAR run gameEPA per rushATL run defense

12th-0.04176 rushes

CAR +9

-0.06 allowed228 rushes faced21st

Third downNo big edge

ATL third-down offensethird-down conversion rateCAR third-down defense

28th35.2%105 third downs

47.7% allowed107 third downs faced29th

CAR third-down offensethird-down conversion rateATL third-down defense

21st37.7%106 third downs

43.3% allowed120 third downs faced23rd

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge CAR · +18 ranks

ATL red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateCAR red-zone defense

14th62%26 trips

ATL +15

75% allowed24 trips faced29th

CAR red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateATL red-zone defense

6th66%29 trips

CAR +18

67% allowed33 trips faced24th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge CAR · +10 ranks

ATL big-play offenseexplosive-play rateCAR defense against big plays

15th9.5%525 plays

CAR +10

7.3% allowed518 plays faced5th

CAR big-play offenseexplosive-play rateATL defense against big plays

14th9.5%524 plays

9.6% allowed573 plays faced19th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge ATL · +20 ranks

ATL pass protectionsack rateCAR pass rush

12th5.6% sacked286 dropbacks

ATL +20

3.9% of dropbacks308 dropbacks faced32nd

CAR pass protectionsack rateATL pass rush

23rd7.5% sacked348 dropbacks

5.8% of dropbacks345 dropbacks faced18th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge CAR · +11 ranks

ATL ball securityturnovers per gameCAR takeaway defense

28th1.7 giveaways a game9 games

CAR +11

1.1 takeaways a game8 games17th

CAR ball securityturnovers per gameATL takeaway defense

19th1.3 giveaways a game8 games

1.1 takeaways a game9 games19th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesATL 0 · CAR 0 regulars out or doubtful

Falcons2 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

DZachariah BranchWR24% offense · 8 wk
OUTAnterio ThompsonDTno snaps

Panthers4 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QBobby OkerekeLB89% defense · 7 wk
QDamien LewisG89% offense · 5 wk
QWill Lee IIICB73% defense · 7 wk
QJaelan PhillipsLB64% defense · 5 wk

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelSame rest · ATL travels 226 mi

AwayFalcons

7days since last game

226miles to get here

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 17 vs NO · 12,887 mi flown this season

Body clock 12:00 a.m.

Rest edgeEvensame restTravel gap 226 mi

HomePanthers

7days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 17 vs SEA · 3,713 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: ATL 9 games, 525 offensive and 573 defensive plays · CAR 8 games, 524 offensive and 518 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32