Falcons vs. Panthers: 5 Key First-Half Stats for Atlanta

After getting manhandled by a banged-up Texans team last week, the Falcons have come out flat again against the Panthers. With a win, Atlanta can move to 8-5 and put themselves in much better position for a Wild Card slot, but so far it's been a struggle.

On the other sideline, Cam Newton may have erased some of the goodwill he's created during an astounding rookie season with some controversial comments he made to ESPN this week, in which he suggested not all of his teammates care about winning as much as he does.

You know what fixes a divided locker room? Winning.

Five key stats illustrate the flow of the game so far and can give us some insight into what to look for in the second half:

The Panthers have one of the worst rushing defenses in the league, giving up an average of 132.5 yards a game. There's no doubt Atlanta needs a bounce-back game from Ryan to win today, but part of that effort will be exploiting the Panthers' biggest weakness: the interior of their defensive line.

At the two-minute warning, Atlanta had 37 yards on the ground. Not nearly enough, and they may have to abandon the run in the second half as they try to come back from a deficit.

The Falcons have 23.0 sacks on the season, which is good for 23rd in the league.

They have two in the first half.

Atlanta will need more if they hope to contain Newton for a full game. Right now, he's far too comfortable moving around the pocket.

Roddy White has been heavily involved in the first half. He's got four catches and one touchdown already. With Julio Jones back as well, Ryan could be setting the scene for some big plays in the second half by chipping away with shorter throws now.

That's how many yards DeAngelo Williams scampered down the sidelines for in his longest rush of the year.

In a tight game, it's inexcusable to allow a big play like that on what was a pretty standard off-tackle run. Atlanta will have to shore up their run-defense and key in better on Newton's runs in the second half. 

The Panthers converted 11 first downs as of the two-minute warning. Coming in to the game, Carolina had a big-play reputation, but were not known as a ball-control team.

It goes without saying Atlanta will need to do a better job getting Newton off the field in the second half. The more touches he gets, the more dangerous the Panthers become.