The Adam Thielen Impact – the 🐘 in the room for the #Panthers

2024 Season with Adam Thielen:
– Total Pass EPA: -3.92
– Pass Plays: 352
– EPA per Pass: -0.011

2025 Season without Thielen:
-Total Pass EPA: -43.05
-Pass Plays: 328
-EPA per Pass: -0.131

Key Observations:
– The… pic.twitter.com/LBH0GcxHlc

— Let’s Taco bout the Panthers (@TacosTweets) November 14, 2025

The Carolina Panthers are heading down I-85 this weekend for their second crack at the Atlanta Falcons. And if this trip proves to be a triumphant one, then they’ll be coming back home with the first season sweep of their NFC South foes since 2013.

Here are some key matchups here in Week 11 that could help the Panthers break out the brooms on the “Dirty Birds” this weekend . . .

Panthers QB Bryce Young vs. consistency

Once again, Young has wrestled with achieving overall consistency as the team’s starting quarterback. As opposed to Weeks 8 through 18 in 2024, where he had seemingly emerged as the franchise guy, the third-year passer has not taken many downfield shots of late.

Young, in last week’s 17-7 loss to the New Orleans Saints, threw for 124 yards with an average of 5.0 yards per attempt. And of his 24 throws, only three traveled at least 20 yards from the line of scrimmage.

The trade of veteran wideout Adam Thielen, Young’s most reliable weapon from his first two pro campaigns, may have had a negative impact on the state of the deep ball. His absence has shifted the pressure to youngsters Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

Will we see a different version of Young than in weeks past? Perhaps, but it would have to come against the No. 1 pass defense in the league.

Panthers’ offensive line vs. Falcons’ front seven

Speaking of that defense, the Falcons have pieced together one of the more solid pass-rushing approaches around. They’re tied for the fifth-most sacks, they’ve amassed the seventh-highest pressure rate and they’re calling up the blitz more than anyone.

The Panthers, who are looking to rebound after getting dominated in the trenches last Sunday, must follow the game plan that got them the 30-0 win over the Falcons in Week 3. We should see a heavy implementation of play action with a counterbalance of the run out of zone concepts.

Carolina will be able to fend off Atlanta’s aggressive NASCAR packages if running backs Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard can find some space.

Panthers’ pass rush vs. Falcons’ offensive line

The Panthers’ pass rush, meanwhile, is slowly heating up.

They’ve gotten a boost from 2025 second-round pick Nic Scourton, who notched a sack and a tied for a team-high four pressures in Week 10. He should see a bit of Falcons right tackle Elijah Wilkinson, who has allowed the fifth-most pressures amongst all offensive linemen this season.

But as a whole, Atlanta has relinquished just 14 sacks and the ninth-fewest pressures in the NFL. Like in Week 3, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will have to muddy the waters for quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who completed 50 percent of his passes at a season-low 4.8 yards per attempt in their first meeting.

And this time, the Panthers will have defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton—an absentee from that early-season matchup. Wharton tallied four pressures in both of the last two outings.

Panthers’ run defense vs. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson

This was a key matchup in September, when the Panthers limited Robinson’s opportunities. Carolina held the star back to 72 rushing yards, a success given the lofty expectations going in.

Although they’ve still struggled with cutting off explosive gains at times, the Panthers’ run defense has improved tremendously this season. They allowed 111.9 rushing yards per game, a far cry from their league-worst average of 179.8 yards from 2024.

This week, tackling in space and run fit discipline will be a priority for Evero’s defense, but it could be more challenging without starting MIKE linebacker Trevin Wallace. Christian Rozeboom may assume the “green dot” as the team’s leading tackler while safety Tre’von Moehrig is likely to play as a dime linebacker on more occasions.

Panthers CB Jaycee Horn vs. Falcons WR Drake London

London is on a heater, as he reeled in 15 balls for 222 yards and four touchdowns over his last two games. But he’s also entering this one as questionable, due to a back injury and an illness.

If London is good to go, he should see plenty of Horn—who had, perhaps, the roughest performance of his career in Week 10. Horn, in Week 3 against Atlanta, allowed one catch for nine yards on two targets to London.

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.