THURSDAY NIGHT PREVIEW:
ATLANTA FALCONS (1-6) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-4)
Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season gets underway on Thursday, October 29 (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL Network/Amazon), as the Atlanta Falcons visit the Carolina Panthers in an NFC South matchup. It will mark the 52nd meeting between the two franchises, with the Falcons holding an all-time series lead, 32-19. In Week 5, Carolina defeated Atlanta, 23-16, as quarterback TEDDY BRIDGEWATER passed for 313 yards and two touchdowns while running back MIKE DAVIS totaled nine receptions with a career-high 149 scrimmage yards (89 rushing, 60 receiving) and a touchdown catch.
Last week, Falcons quarterback MATT RYAN passed for 338 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a 105.1 rating. Ryan leads the NFL with 2,181 passing yards this season and aims for his third in a row with at least 300 passing yards. He has passed for 3,083 yards (280.3 per game) and 21 touchdowns with seven interceptions for a 98.8 rating in 11 career starts on Thursday. Running back TODD GURLEY rushed for two touchdowns in Week 7 and ties for the NFL lead with seven rushing touchdowns this season. He has 18 career games with at least two rushing touchdowns, tied for the fifth-most such games in a player’s first six seasons in NFL history. Gurley totaled a season-high 150 scrimmage yards (121 rush, 29 receiving) in Week 5 against Carolina. Wide receiver JULIO JONES led Atlanta with eight receptions and 97 receiving yards last week. In eight career games on Thursday, he has 59 receptions for 912 yards (114 per game) and four touchdowns. Wide receiver CALVIN RIDLEY recorded his sixth touchdown reception of the season last week, tied for the third-most in the league. He led Atlanta with 136 receiving yards in Week 5 against Carolina, and his 615 receiving yards this season rank third-most in the NFL. Linebacker FOYESADE OLUOKUN registered a career-high 14 tackles in their Week 5 meeting and aims for his third in a row against Carolina with at least 10 tackles. He is the only player in the league with at least 40 tackles (49) and three forced fumbles (three) this season.
In Week 7, Bridgewater passed for two touchdowns with zero interceptions for a 128.3 rating. He ranks second among qualified passers with a completion percentage of 72.2 (169 of 234) and ranks fifth with 1,930 passing yards this season. Davis ranks second among running backs with 37 receptions in 2020 and has four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) in his past five games. Wide receiver D.J. MOORE had 93 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions last week, his second-career two-touchdown game. He had a touchdown catch in Week 5 against Atlanta and aims for his fourth in a row with at least 90 receiving yards. Wide receiver ROBBY ANDERSON had eight receptions for 112 yards in Week 5 against the Falcons and ranks second in the league with 640 receiving yards this season. Anderson and Moore (567 receiving yards) are one of two wide receiver duos (Seattle’s TYLER LOCKETT and DK METCALF) each with at least 500 receiving yards this season. Linebacker SHAQ THOMPSON had a team-high 13 tackles last week and aims for his third in a row against Atlanta with at least 10 tackles. Defensive end BRIAN BURNS recorded a sack and forced fumble in Week 5 and has six sacks in nine career games against the NFC South. Safety JEREMY CHINN leads all rookies with 56 tackles this season while defensive tackle DERRICK BROWN ranks first among rookies with six tackles for loss in 2020.
Adding to television availability, several streaming options will be available to fans. FOX Thursday Night Football games will be available to stream on Amazon via Prime Video and Twitch in addition to NFL, FOX and FOX Deportes digital properties across devices.* During the season, fans can learn all of the ways to watch at NFL.com/TNF.
For the Week 8 Atlanta-Carolina capsule, click here.
*NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video and Twitch simulcast subject to change.
