Falcoholinks: All the Falcons news you need for Friday, Dec. 10

Rejoice — it’s Friday! But, mainly rejoice because you get to start it with some Falcoholinks.

Panthers on deck for Week 14

The 2021 NFL season began with quarterback Cam Newton in limbo with the Patriots, but he’s found his way back to where his NFL career began — in Carolina. As such, the Falcons get an unexpected matchup on Sunday, with Cam under center for these two teams’ second tilt of the season.

We’ve got the Falcons narrowly winning this one on the road, but as chaos reigns in 2021, we’re prepared for anything. Both of these teams are pretty sketchy, but a lot has changed since Sam Darnold ran all over them in Week 7.

It’s a push on paper when you look at Atlanta’s defensive unit against Carolina’s offense — but again, we’re prepared for anything.

Injury updates

The Falcons’ defense is still working its way back from injury, as three players participated in limited fashion during Thursday’s practice.

The hits keep coming

The QB hits, that is. The Falcons rank first in the entire NFL for the most quarterback hits allowed during the league’s first 12 weeks. You’ve seen the games — it’s bad.

Pray for Matt Ryan.

MOOOOOCKS

Never too early (Editor’s note: debatable!) to start looking toward the next year’s draft. We’ve got a new mock draft for you, with the Atlanta Falcons selecting eighth-overall in 2022.