NFL Thursday night: Can Falcons win fifth in row at Carolina? Can two bad teams keep us awake?
NFL WEEK 10
GREG COTE’S THURSDAY PICK
FALCONS (4-5) at PANTHERS (2-7)
Line: ATL by 3.
Cote’s pick: ATL, 24-20.
TV: 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Prime Video.
It’s a not-ready-for-prime time stinker to kick off NFL Week 10. Let’s just say: Atlanta and Carolina are not repped on your fantasy teams. You don’t have a monetary wager riding on the result. You are not related to or friends with any of the players. You still watching? Well, yes. Of course you are. Because it’s still the NFL(ish), even when the matchup is lousy. I mean, P.J. Walker vs. Marcus Mariota! First one to 150 passing yards wins? Falcons are a bad road team; Panthers are a bad-everywhere team. Atlanta has actually won four straight trips to Charlotte and should again to at least briefly take over first place in the lousy NFC South. Falcons beat Cats 37-34 just two weeks ago, and now ATL has Cordarrelle Patterson back healthy, a big plus. Birds’ stout ground game should run all over Carolina to successfully limit the times Mariota’s might do something bad by passing.
Note: Betting line courtesy Caesars Sportsbook as of Wednesday afternoon. Picks for remainder of Week 10 games will appear online Thursday afternoon and in print Friday.
