This past Sunday, the Carolina Panthers were stunned by division rival Tampa Bay in a 43-13 loss that jumbled the NFC South even more than anyone could have imagined. Now head coach Dave Canales and his team travel to Green Bay to face the Packers in prime time Thursday night, hoping a short week means a short memory.
After squandering a chance to extend their division lead, the Panthers have to refocus and prove Sunday is truly behind them. Before the Week 7 embarrassment, the Panthers only concerning loss had come in the season opener against the Bears, and that was easy to write off since it was the first game of the season. Whereas the 30-point loss to Tampa Bay is still on the mind of Panthers fans heading into Thursday. Canales and his players say they have “flushed” the loss and are ready to focus on matchup versus the Packers.
Carolina showing that on any given week they can give up near or above 50 points is not too encouraging for Panthers fans. It seems the question every week with this team is, “which team will show up?” This is exactly what people are wondering as Carolina is heading into a prime time game in a hostile environment.
As if the challenge of winning at Lambeau Field wasn’t enough for the Panthers, they will be tasked with containing running back Josh Jacobs who is expected to play a major role in the run game after easing back into his responsibilities this past Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Carolina allowed north of 250 rushing yards against the Buccaneers, so there is no doubt Jacobs is already foaming at the mouth.
For the Panthers to get back on track, it’s plain and simple: The defense has to be better. No matter how explosive the offense has been, Carolina can’t expect Bryce Young to cap off every drive with a score. And after the offensive line’s letdown against Tampa Bay, the offense has its own improvements to make.
Young had his worst performance of the season on Sunday going 14/27 in the air for only 163 passing yards. He threw two head-scratching interceptions, had a fumble that was recovered by the Bucs for a touchdown and was sacked five times on the day.
In Young’s defense, not every stat that goes against him in the box score was truly his fault. It seemed that on nearly every drop back he had only one second or less to get rid of the football before he was going down. This undoubtedly rushed his decision-making throughout the day and he could never get comfortable in the pocket. There is no question that Green Bay has made note of this in its film room.
Look for the Packers to bring pressure on Young and blitz relentlessly on Thursday night. If the Panthers feel their offensive line can handle the pass rush, they will trust Young to go back to airing it out down the field and try to beat Green Bay through the air.
The more likely scenario is that Carolina will adjust their offensive play calling in an attempt to slow down the pass rush by giving Chuba Hubbard more carries, including some halfback draws up the middle and letting Young get the ball out of his hand quickly on wide receiver screens and slants across the middle of the field.
If Carolina does try to piece together methodical drives on the road, it will have to execute at a high level on third down and maybe even take some risks by going for it in fourth and short situations.
Thursday will be one of those games that Dave Canales will take a win any way he can get it. All eyes will be on Carolina to see if Sunday they just let their guard down or they aren’t quite the team we thought they were two weeks ago.
If there is a silver lining for the Panthers heading into this matchup, it is the fact that they remain the division leaders at 3-3. They just have Atlanta breathing down their necks at 3-4 and coming off a huge win over the 49ers. The Bucs and the Saints also remain in the mix at 2-5 with a lot of football to be played this season.
All of this analysis leads back to the most asked question in Charlotte during football season: Which Panthers team will we get this week?
