Cordarrelle Patterson, Desmond Ridder and how the Falcons match up with the Panthers

You’ve heard so much about Bryce Young and Frank Reich and the rest of these new-to-the-organization Carolina Panthers throughout the preseason.

But what about their Week 1 opponent?

The Panthers open their 2023 season against the Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This one will be meaningful for a bunch of reasons — not least among them is the fact that it is a game between two NFC South teams hoping to eke out of the regular season with a playoff berth in a relatively weak division.

Here’s the skinny on the Panthers’ rival and Week 1 opponent.

2022 NFC South standings

1. The Falcons offense boasts an ‘all-time great’

It didn’t take long on Wednesday for Panthers head coach Frank Reich to offer some mighty praise of his Week 1 foe.

“On special teams, they got the all-time great Cordarrelle Patterson,” Reich said, after listing off a bunch of the team’s fortes. “Looking forward to the challenge.”

It’s true.

Atlanta doesn’t have the skill position name recognition it once did when Matt Ryan was throwing to Julio Jones and both were at the peak of their powers, but the team boasts a unique talent that many opponents are still trying to figure out.

Patterson is officially listed on the team depth chart as a “J,” or “Joker.” That’s because he is a wild card in every sense of the word. He’s a competent receiver who lines up out of the backfield ... and who might be among the greatest kick returners of all time? In 2022, he finished with 144 carries for 695 yards and eight touchdowns, along with 21 receptions for 122 yards — and while he only had nine kick returns last season, he turned 284 yards (31.6 a try) and a touchdown.

The 32-year-old Rock Hill, South Carolina, native was limited in practice on Thursday and is listed as questionable as of Friday afternoon for Sunday’s start.

2. Bijan Robinson beneficiary of Falcons run game

If you’ve bought any stock in the Atlanta Falcons ahead of 2023, you’ve clearly fallen in love with Bijan Robinson. And who could blame you?

The rookie running back who the Falcons spent their No. 8 overall draft pick on has flashed his potential this preseason. He has a lot to live up to after a remarkable final year at Texas — where he rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns — and will especially be relied upon considering the Falcons’ investment in him while the running back market moves further and further into precarity.

He joins a particularly juiced backfield, with Patterson and Tyler Allgaier, and will operate behind an offensive line that is considered a Top 10 unit across the league. The group features All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom and very few penalties, as Reich harped on earlier this week, too.

3. QB Desmond Ritter vs. Bryce Young something to watch

The two won’t be between the lines at the same time on Sunday, but they’ll certainly be pitted against one another.

Young, of course, is the NFL first overall pick — the dazzling Alabama product and Heisman trophy winner the Panthers traded so much away to get. Desmond Ridder of the Falcons, meanwhile, is another long-term project and will also be making his first Week 1 start after playing four games in 2022.

The Cincinnati product went 73 of 115 for 708 yards and two touchdowns in his appearances last season after replacing Marcus Mariota in Week 15. Part of that lack of production was a result of the team’s run-first offense: Per TeamRankings.com, Atlanta had the second-lowest passing play percentage in the NFL at 44.71%.

The Falcons seemed to have doubled down on its offensive principles this offseason. But with a Panthers pass rushing corps still in flux and a defensive backfield still getting to know each other, could Sunday be a day for Ridder to break out?

4. Don’t forget about tight end Kyle Pitts

Carolina’s defensive strength still resides with its inside linebackers. Think Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu. But the Falcons’ premier tight end Kyle Pitts is a matchup problem that could pose a challenge — because he poses a challenge for anyone.

The 6-foot-6, 246-pound mammoth can line up anywhere and should in theory be a terror in the red zone. His two seasons as a Falcon haven’t yielded much, though: In 27 NFL games played, he’s only notched 96 receptions and 1,382 yards and three touchdowns — and a majority of that production came in his rookie season.

His 2022 season ended with knee surgery in November, but he played in the preseason and is listed as active for Sunday’s opener.

5. Atlanta’s biggest defensive weakness and strength?

Much like the Panthers, it’s tough to discern what to make of the Falcons’ defense.

Whereas the Panthers opted to mostly rest a bunch of the team’s defensive starters in the preseason — from Justin Houston to Brian Burns to Derrick Brown and others — the Falcons have made so many changes that it’s tough to base any projections on the team’s 2022 numbers: The defensive backfield revamped, the defensive line reloaded, and the team’s pass rush has largely been overlooked.

What we can say:

▪ Atlanta will have a good defensive line. The Falcons added veterans Calais Campbell, David Onyemata and Bud Dupree to the unit — a group that has reportedly meshed well with defensive captain and longtime Falcon Grady Jarrett. (This is not good news for the fledgling Carolina run game, which will see Miles Sanders play for the first time in a Carolina uniform after sitting out the team’s preseason contests.)

▪ Atlanta might have the advantage in the team’s defensive backfield, too, considering the Panthers are so banged up at receiver. A reminder: four of the team’s six receivers were on the team’s injury report at one point this week, including offseason additions Adam Thielen (now listed as questionable) and DJ Chark (now considered out).

▪ Some good news for Carolina? The Falcons aren’t expected to have a great pass rush this season. This part is particularly welcomed considering the pressure rookie QB Young faced all preseason. The Panthers’ veteran offensive line, which is still reeling from missing its most valuable blocker in Austin Corbett (PUP list), has earned the wrong kind of national attention this preseason. They’ll look to change that perception Sunday — and Atlanta might be a good team to do it against.