Falcons vs. Panthers GAMEDAY Preview: QB P.J. Walker Changes Atlanta Defensive Schemes
It has been a continuous quarterback carousel for the Carolina Panthers this season. Baker Mayfield replaced starting quarterback P.J. Walker mid-game during the Panthers' 42-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, where he finished the game completing 70.0 percent of his pass attempts for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
Ahead of their Thursday night match against the 4-5 Atlanta Falcons, interim coach Steve Wilks has re-named Walker as the Panthers' starting quarterback.
And according to coach Arthur Smith, the Falcons will have to alter their defensive scheme, given the Panthers' starter under center amid their Week 10 contest at Bank of America Stadium.
"It’ll be a little different of a look than P.J. or even if they want to bring in Sam Darnold," Smith said. "We played Sam last year and if that’s the route that they go down, or Baker [Mayfield], see what he did Sunday, seen enough of how they use him offensively, and if it’s P.J., that’s just what you’ve got to prepare for."
During the Falcons' Week 8 overtime victory against the Panthers, Walker started for Carolina and had one of the best games of his pro career. He threw for a career-best 317 yards and a touchdown during a loss at the Mercedes Benz stadium on Oct. 30.
Despite falling to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Falcons are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers atop the NFC South with a 4-5 record. And Smith understands that a win over a divisional opponent will push the Falcons one step closer to taking sole possession of first place in the division.
"They’ll have them ready to go, it’s a divisional game, we all know how these things go, and we’ve got to be ready to roll," Smith said. "It’ll be a huge opportunity for us Thursday night, as bad as that felt [Sunday], you always got to flip the page even quicker. We’ll be on that plane pretty quick here on Wednesday."
Before his benching against the Bengals, Walker had completed three out of his 10 pass attempts for nine yards and two interceptions.
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