The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons face off on Sunday, Oct. 30. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

The Atlanta Falcons are rebuilding.

The Carolina Panthers are in a major state of flux.

Not too worry.

In the pitiful NFC South, both of these scuffling teams are somehow still contenders.

Every team in the NFL’s weakest division has a losing record, which leaves the Falcons (3-4) tied for the top spot with Tampa Bay, while the Panthers (2-5) and New Orleans are just a game behind.

Atlanta knew it could be in for a long season after trading quarterback Matt Ryan and taking a huge salary cap hit.

But the Falcons probably didn’t envision the rest of the division coming along for the ride.

The Panthers are hanging around, too, even after firing coach Matt Rhule and trading star running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers for a haul of draft picks.

Carolina is coming off its best performance of the season, a 21-3 upset of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

When is Panthers-Falcons?

The Falcons play the Panthers at noon (1 p.m. ET) Sunday, Oct 30.

Live stream options

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo standard” package, which comprises 121-plus channels for $69.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $54.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $74.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $89.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $134.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

Will it be televised?

The Falcons and Panthers will be televised on Fox.

Preview

RUN FOCUSED: Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks took over a team that was ranked last in offense two weeks ago and made it a point to find an identity.

That meant running the ball.

D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard combined for rush for 181 yards on the ground against the Bucs, and the Panthers have made no secret that they intend to run the ball against the Falcons to set up the play-action pass.

“That is the mindset that I wanted to create up front — just blue collar, hard working and pushing the pile,” Wilks said.

The Falcons know exactly what he’s talking about.

With few threats in the passing game, coach Arthur Smith has steadfastly refused to open things up for quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Atlanta has thrown just 27 passes the last two weeks, relying instead on a grind-it-out running game led by rookie Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley.

WHERE’S PITTS? The lack of a passing game has made All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts an afterthought in the Falcons’ offense.

The second-year player has just 16 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown, far off the pace he produced in his stellar rookie season.

Last week, Pitts was held to a season-low 9 yards on three receptions in a 35-17 loss at Cincinnati.

With so much emphasis on the running game, the Falcons have just three players with double-figure receptions on the season.

This year’s No. 1 pick, Drake London, leads the team with some very ordinary numbers: 26 catches for 315 yards and two scores.

“There are certain games where we haven’t had to pass that much,” Smith said. “Every game, you go in there to have balance and we have plays and those guys are a big part of our offense.”

WALKER EARNS START: Baker Mayfield will be active for the game, but the Panthers are sticking with Walker as their starting quarterback.

Walker kept the No. 1 spot after completing 16 of 22 passes for 177 yards and two scores against Tampa Bay.

Walker, who was undrafted, is now ahead of the QB taken No. 1 overall in the 2018 draft.

The Panthers also have the No. 3 pick from that draft, Sam Darnold, who has returned to practice but remains on injured reserve.

“I’m not going to go into details on the conversations,” Wilks said of his QB depth chart. “Each and every week, I meet with all three of those guys … so we’re all in the room together. I don’t try to talk to each of them separately because I want to make sure we have great communication and clarity on what I’m saying to the group.”

Wilks said Mayfield was aware of “exactly where we were going this week, and he knows his role, and he was fine with that.”

AILING SECONDARY: No matter who lines up at quarterback for the Panthers, they are going to be facing a secondary that looks especially vulnerable because of a rash of injuries.

Cornerback Casey Hayward is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, and two other starters — corner A.J. Terrell (hamstring) and safety Jaylinn Hawkins (concussion) — both went down against the Bengals.

The situation got so desperate last Sunday that Smith seriously considered shifting running back Avery Williams to the other side of the line.

“Very close,” the coach said.

WINNING THIRD DOWNS: The Panthers’ biggest area of concern on offense has been third down.

They have converted just 25% of their third-down opportunities, which is by far the worst in the league. By comparison, the league-leading Buffalo Bills are converting nearly 53% of their third-down chances.

The Falcons also have done a much better job on third down than the Panthers. Atlanta ranks fifth in the NFL with a 44% conversion rate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.