LISTEN: Will Panthers QB Sam Darnold Bounce Back vs. Falcons?

A month ago, Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold looked to be the steal of the offseason as he had his team off to a 3-0 start. It was Carolina's best start since it went 15-1 in 2015.

However, four straight losses have changed course for the team, and disappointing performances led to head coach Matt Rhule benching Darnold in the fourth quarter of the team's blowout loss to the one-win New York Giants.

The red flags for the Panthers should be a good sign for the Atlanta Falcons, right?

Well, it can be.

There's a chance Darnold continues to suffer without the security blanket of running back Christian McCaffrey and the Atlanta defense gives him some unexpected looks to navigate the offense.

However, statistics point to that not being as likely. Despite breakthroughs last week against the Miami Dolphins, The Falcon defense has surrendered 20 or more points in all but one game this season, and if the Panther defense can find some of its September magic to limit Matt Ryan and the offense, we could be in for an unfortunate home loss.

On this episode of "Locked On Falcons," host Aaron Freeman is joined by Julian Council (Locked On Panthers) to preview the Week 8 matchup between the Falcons and Panthers.

They discuss why the Panthers have been trending down over the past month, if Matt Rhule is on the hot seat, Darnold's struggles, how the Panthers defense can continue to play at a high level and if this is the week that Stephon Gilmore makes his Panthers debut.

Then, they discuss how the Falcons have turned around their season after a slow start, the emergence of Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson, areas where their offense can still improve, and if the team's defense has shown any growth in comparison to previous years.

Aaron deals with all that and more on this episode of "Locked On Falcons." For more podcasts and information, join us here.

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