Michael Turner Could Break Out Against The Panthers

It's fair to say that Michael Turner has not had the most inspiring season. In Week 3, he actually accumulated less total snaps than Jacquizz Rodgers, the first time that's happened in recent memory while the Burner was actually healthy.

Fortunately for him, he gets a juicy matchup against the Carolina Panthers this weekend.

I posted a Cat Scratch Reader report earlier about the Patriots signing defensive tackle Terrell McClain, a guy the Panthers let go despite having one of the weakest defensive tackle groupings in the NFL today. Despite the addition of former Bill Dwan Edwards, the Panthers have still allowed 418 totals yards and 139.3 yards on the ground per game, good for 27th in the league. This isn't a defense built to stop the run.

That's excellent news for Turner, who has managed an anemic 3.7 yards per carry this season. I've said since the beginning of the season that the Falcons either need to get Turner and the run blocking going or turn the ground game over to a back with a different skill set, and I stand by that. Having no ground game rarely works out for the long haul.

Look for the Falcons to try to keep the ball out of Cam Newton's hands by playing aggressive defense and putting the ball in Turner's hands and letting him become a Time Vampire for a while. I think he'll have his first truly great game of the season.

Do you agree?