NFL Predictions Week 6: Legend of Cam Newton Will Grow vs. Falcons

The more skeptical angels of my nature tell me that I should be wary of Cam Newton's success. He's definitely been great, but reason suggests that he has to come back to earth at some point. Were I to ask it, science would likely tell me the same thing.

But try as I may, I just cannot find it in myself to doubt Cam Newton at this point. The first few games of his career have been remarkable, and in watching him there's no denying that his statistical domination is not an accident. The dude was a playmaker in college, and his transition to the pros has done little to lessen his ability to make plays.

So what the heck? Newton and the Carolina Panthers are facing the Atlanta Falcons this weekend, and I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Newton is going to shine once again.

The first reason I feel bold enough to make this prediction is, obviously, Newton himself. If you average his numbers out, he's basically good for 300 yards passing per game, a respectable number of rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He will throw some picks, and he did have that off game in Week 3 in the rain, but other than that he's been pretty consistent.

The other (and bigger) reason I am confident in Newton, though, is that Atlanta's defense is on the bad side of mediocre.

The primary thing that worries me about Atlanta's D is its pass defense, which is not good. The Falcons rank 28th in the NFL against the pass, and that's not a fluke. They're allowing opposing passers to complete 68 percent of their passes, and have allowed three 300-yard passers this season.

One of those was Aaron Rodgers, which is not so bad. The other two were Jay Cutler and Tarvaris Jackson, which is a bit more disconcerting.

Part of this has to do, I think, with Atlanta's problems rushing the passer. They do have nine sacks on the season, but five of those came in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears' rotten offensive line. The Falcons look a lot like the team that struggled to rush the passer in 2010, a season that saw them rack up just 31 sacks.

This doesn't bode well against Newton and the Panthers. He's been sacked just once in the last three weeks, and seems to becoming more and more comfortable in the pocket every week.

Not that he has to be, of course. If he feels the heat around the corner, Newton will take off. His scrambling abilities are a few rungs below Michael Vick's, but Newton is still a threat to make plays with his legs.

So as reasonable as it may be that Newton will slow down at some point, I just don't see it happening on Sunday.

Prediction: 300 yards passing, two TDs, one INT; 35 rushing yards, one TD.