The Panthers offense tries to find itself against a softer defense.
The Carolina Panthers offense has fallen back down to Earth after their offensive outburst against the Raiders in Andy Dalton’s first start. It hasn’t been good, but it’s still been able to move the ball with some success and at least looks a threat to occasionally hit a big play or even score a couple of touchdowns.
This week is another chance to put points on the board. The Commanders have on of the league’s best offenses, which is going to put pressure on the Panthers to keep up. To help with that, the Commanders are owners of one of the worst defenses in the league. They rank 28th in defensive DVOA and 29th in opponent yards per play. They play shootouts, which is fun for most fans.
The Panthers defense will surely provide little resistance to the Commanders high powered offense, so their own offense is going to need to keep scoring to try to maintain the pace. Here are some things that need to happen for the offense to do that.
- Hit big plays down the field. The Commanders have allowed opposing quarterbacks to amass a 114.7 passer rating, second highest in the league. The 8.1 yards per pass allowed is third worst in the league. They give up explosive plays at the highest rate in the league. The Panthers have been somewhat muted in the explosive plays department in recent weeks (years?) and have been moving the ball in smaller chunks. The Commanders defense provides them an opportunity to hit some shots. It’s even more promising when you consider that the team’s best defender, Jonathan Allen, just went on IR while the rest of the front four is banged up. Just throw it at throw it at Benjamin St-Juste or Emmanuel Forbes. You’ll be fine.
- Attack the void left by Jonathan Allen. The Ravens had a lot of success running on the Commanders last week and didn’t have a single carry that lost yardage. They had their biggest plays up the middle and out to the left, which has been the MO for Chuba Hubbard and the Panthers this season as well. The Panthers should be able to get some push up front and on the inside to allow Hubbard to pick up those nice chunks that he’s been gathering all season. It’d be nice to see Chuba pop one too.
- Touchdowns, not field goals. The Panthers have been middle of the road in terms of converting their red zone opportunities into touchdowns. The Commanders defense has been one of the worst in the league at keeping teams out of the end zone once they make it inside the 20. Like I said at the top, the Commanders are going to score points, especially against this defense. The Panthers aren’t going to keep up if they’re settling for field goals once they get in close. They need to be aggressive and do whatever they can to punch the ball into the end zone.