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Falcons vs. Panthers: Atlanta's 3rd down struggles continue

Atlanta's offense had trouble converting third downs against Carolina, and its defense had trouble preventing third-down conversions.

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons struggled on third downs both offensively and defensively during their loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The offense converted just two of eight third-down tries, while the defense allowed the Panthers to convert nine of 15 third downs.

Third downs were an issue last week against the Saints as well -- the offense converted just one of 11 tries, while the defense allowed New Orleans to convert half of its third downs.

Including their recent issues, the Falcons' offense has converted 44.6 percent of its third downs this season, which is one of the NFL's best marks. The only team converting more than half of its third downs is New England.

Defensively, the Falcons are allowing third-down conversions 40.6 percent of the time. San Francisco's defense leads the league by holding opponents to a 31.4 percent conversion rate.

The Falcons will try to bounce back from their loss to the Panthers when they take on the Giants next Sunday.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.