A different way to watch Panthers-Falcons Thursday night on TV  — and score prediction

If you’re looking for a different way to watch the Carolina Panthers host the Atlanta Falcons tonight — because, after all, 2020 is nothing if not different — you should check out at least some of the game by streaming it live on Amazon Prime Video.

There, instead of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling the game as they do on Fox Sports and NFL Network, you will find Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer dissecting the action.

Kremer and Storm are deeply respected veteran broadcasters who also form a rarity — an all-female announcing duo in the booth for an NFL game.

This is their third season working Thursday night games together for Amazon Prime Video. They’ve already broadcast more than two dozen games together, calling the games from a studio in Stamford, Conn., while using the live camera feeds from Fox.

While a lot of broadcast journalism has gone virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19, Kremer and Storm already had a two-year head start on how to do it effectively.

I spoke to Kremer by phone ahead of the Panthers-Falcons game (8:20 p.m. kickoff). Here are a few excerpts from our conversation, edited for clarity and brevity.

Scott Fowler: You were an NFL sideline reporter for years at the highest level, but I imagine being the color analyst in the booth was a transition. What sort of advice did you rely on?

Andrea Kremer: Al Michaels told me that 90% of the announcers use all this football lingo and they have no idea what they’re talking about. And 99% of the audience hears this football lingo and they think it sounds really cool, but they don’t know what it means either.

So I kind of made a deal with myself that if I’m going to use football lingo, I’m going to explain it. Because the other thing you have to consider is that we’re in more than 220 countries (due to Amazon Prime’s reach). So we don’t really know the knowledge base of the people that are listening.

So if I’m talking about jet sweep or ghost motion or cover two, I need to be able to explain it. It’s just that simple.

SF: I know it’s your third year doing this together with Hannah Storm, but do you still consider it a pioneering sort of telecast?

AK: Yes. We kind of joke that if you’re listening to us from somewhere like Indonesia, and you’re hearing two women call a football game, you think that’s normal. We think that’s kind of great.

SF: You’ve been honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame for your NFL broadcast work and have covered a variety of sports for a long time. What’s the favorite piece you’ve ever done?

AK: The sexual misconduct investigation on Bikram Yoga, for HBO’s Real Sports, in 2016.

SF: What are your thoughts on the Panthers entering this game?

AK: With the quarantine and COVID-19, I thought they entered the season in the worst position of anyone in the NFL. You’ve got a new head coach, a new quarterback, new coordinators. Good luck, Matt Rhule! ... So to be sitting at their record (3-4), I think is absolutely amazing. Really almost unprecedented. ... And you know if you like stories, how do you not like the Teddy Bridgewater story? Truthfully, they’re fun to watch.

▪ Robby Anderson had one of his strongest games on Oct. 11th against Atlanta in Carolina’s 23-16 win, with eight catches for 112 yards. Another 100-yard game for Anderson seems possible Thursday; the Falcons don’t have anyone who can run step-for-step with him.

▪ Weird stat note: The Panthers’ DJ Moore has exactly 93 yards receiving in each of his past three games.

▪ Matt Ryan speaking about the Panthers’ defense to Atlanta reporters this week: “I think Carolina has been who they are, for the most part, on defense the entire year. Their scheme is kind of a ‘bend-don’t-break, keep things in front and make you chip away’ as the game goes on.” Sounds about right. But if the Panthers’ defense doesn’t improve its third-down conversion percentage, this will be a long night.

▪ Prediction time. I’m 4-3 picking the Panthers’ outcomes after correctly forecasting their loss to New Orleans on Sunday. This time, on a short week, I think they will have enough to beat Atlanta one more time.

My pick: Carolina 30, Atlanta 26.

How to watch Panthers vs. Falcons game on Amazon

You need to be an Amazon Prime member to watch the Panthers/Falcons game on Amazon. If you are a member, the game can be live-streamed on any Internet-connected device by opening the Amazon Video app on your mobile phone or smart TV.

If you don’t have the app, visit Amazon.com/primevideo or download the Prime Video app on your mobile device. The game can also be viewed on Fox Sports or NFL Network with a valid cable or satellite subscription.

This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 7:15 AM with the headline "A different way to watch Panthers-Falcons Thursday night on TV  — and score prediction."