Falcons Avoid Christian McCaffrey, But Are Preparing For 'Hard to Stop' Panthers RB D'Onta Foreman
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The Atlanta Falcons are preparing to face their in-division rival Carolina Panthers Sunday.
The Falcons may have been given a reprieve a week ago when the Panthers traded running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers, but that didn't stop Carolina from efficiently running the football in their first game without him.
The Panthers ran the ball for 173 yards on 27 carries in their win Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Out of those 173 yards, 118 of them came on the back of D'Onta Foreman, who spent training camp in 2021 with the Falcons.
"I know Foreman pretty well," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said. " [I] coached him in Tennessee (and) we had him in camp here last year. He'll be ready to roll and he's a good back - when he gets into a rhythm, he can be hard to stop."
Foreman and the Panthers are hungry after essentially being written off for the season following the McCaffrey trade. However, if the Panthers win Sunday and if the Buccaneers lose to the Baltimore Ravens tonight on Thursday Night Football, Carolina will find itself at the top of the lowly NFC South halfway through the season.
In a game that could determine who leads the division, the Falcons cannot underestimate the Panthers, or they'll lose a very winnable game at home that could disrupt the momentum they've built over the past two months.
You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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