LANDOVER, MD. (BLACK & BLUE KICKOFF LIVE) — The Panthers are in the nation’s capital to face the NFC East-leading Commanders, who have a few familiar faces.
Linebacker Frankie Luvu and safety Jeremy Chinn both signed with Washington as free agents this past offseason and both are making big impacts. Luvu has 39 total tackles and Chinn has 31, that’s second and third-best on the team behind only former all-pro linebacker Bobby Wagner. The Commanders have three fumble recoveries all season and they all belong to the two former Panthers (Luvu has two and Chinn has one). Luvu is also tied for second on the team in sacks (3).
Individually they may be playing well, but as a unit, they have shown to be vulnerable, especially in the passing game. They have given up 12 passing touchdowns which is tied for second-most in the NFL (Panthers and Texans also have 12) and are bottom 10 in opposing completion percentage and yards per attempt. Good quarterback play from Andy Dalton will lead to points against this defense, which is needed because the Commanders score a lot.
Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Washington is tied for the most points in the NFL so far. A lot of their success comes from their rushing game which has the 4th most yards in the league. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders also have a league-leading 74.6% completion percentage. This is a tough offense to stop considering they have only punted 11 times through six games, no other team has punted less.
Meanwhile, Chuba Hubbard continues to be a bright spot in this Panthers offense- he has the third most rushing yards (485) in the league and has averaged almost 100 yards/game over the last three games.
The Panthers are 7-10 all-time against the Commanders. The last game was in Carolina in 2021 where the Panthers lost 27-21. Another close game could be in store on Sunday as the last four meetings between these two teams were all separated by one score.
Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Commanders starts at 4:05 p.m. from Northwest Stadium.
