The Atlanta Falcons (5-3) are on the road against the Carolina Panthers (3-5) Sunday.  Quarterback Matt Ryan has been struggling a bit lately, but I am expecting him to have a solid performance against the Panthers.  The Panthers defense is holding teams to 182 passing yards per game, but Michael Turner has been running the ball great lately and I think he will open things up for Ryan and the passing game.  In his last two games, Turner has rushed for 3 touchdowns and 317 yards on 38 carries.  The Falcons should have no problem winning if Turner has another big day.  Ryan needs to do a better job of taking care of the ball though.  He has thrown at least one interception in his last five games with the total being nine picks in that time.

The Falcons defense will need to focus on stopping the running game, as that is the only thing the Panthers offense has really got.  Jake Delhomme has been a turnover machine for them this year, so they limit him and hand the ball off a lot.  DeAngelo Williams is their top running back and has been having some big games lately.  He went for two touchdowns and 149 yards rushing on 21 carries last week.  Jonathon Stewart also gets about 10-15 carries a game and averages about 4.4 yards per carry.  Delhomme has been limiting his turnovers lately, so the Falcons really need to make sure they slow down the running game.  The Falcons are the better team, so they should win this game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Atlanta Falcons 30, Carolina Panthers 21