The Panthers battered defensive unit goes up against a strong Falcons offense in this week’s matchup.
Edge Rushers gazes nervously
As we all know, the Panthers group of edge defenders, as it currently sits, might be the worst position group on the roster. And guess what?! The situation got a lot worse on Sunday, as number one EDGE Jadeveon Clowney left the game against the Bengals with an ankle injury. He sat out of practice on Wednesday and appears to be questionable at best for this week’s tilt against a Falcons unit that put up 500 yards passing and 4 TDs in a thriller against the Buccaneers on Thursday Night football last week. Kirk Cousins was stacked 4 times in the contest and threw a pick, though that Bucs front is in a significantly better spot than the Panthers. If Clowney were to miss, the Panthers edge unit would be headed by Charles Harris, DJ Johnson, Tarron Jackson, and Thomas Incoom. The Panthers made the move to aid the group by adding veteran edge defenders, in familiar face Marquis Haynes and 9 year vet Shaq Lawson to the practice squad. It’s no sure thing either one is ready for Sunday, but their presence would greatly help this thin and depleted unit.
Corner help on the way?
One of the Panthers more high profile moves on defense this off-season was signing former Bills CB Dane Jackson, who has spent the entire season on the PUP list. They recently activated him off of injured/reserve, and could be close to returning this week. After this secondary got torn up by DJ Moore, they’ll be facing a Falcons group boasting strong seasons receiving from Drake London and Darnell Mooney, a huge mismatch in Kyle Pitts against the linebackers, and a surprisingly effective Ray-Ray McCloud as of late as a complimentary piece.
Stop the bleeding fast with Bijan Robinson
Despite featuring potential superstar Bijan Robinson, the Falcons rank in the bottom 3rd of the league in rushing yards total and yards per game. They don’t run the ball as often as many of us would have thought. This could be the game where that changes though, as the Panthers have allowed 144 yards on the ground per game which is towards the bottom of the league. They surprisingly are in the upper half of the league as far as rushing yards per attempt, though their last 3 games came against teams that don’t really cut their teeth pounding the rock in the trenches. I foresee this game being a long one for them, unless Trevin Wallace and whatever LB starts opposite him can get some space and make some tackles. Wallace was very impressive in his debut as a starter, in fact Claudin Cherelus also grade pretty well starting on Sunday via PFF. This could be a huge test.
What are you looking for on Sunday, Panthers fans?