One last offensive preview before we enter the throes of the offseason.
We get one more Sunday of Carolina Panthers football before the team breaks for the offseason. They wrap up the 2024 season the way they opened the 2023 season—on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. The two teams played in Charlotte earlier this season, and the Falcons won that game handily. That said, we can’t really use that game as any sort of barometer for how this Sunday’s match-up will go. Neither team will be starting the same quarterback; the Falcons previously started Kirk Cousins while the Panthers were leaning on Andy Dalton. Now it’ll be Bryce Young vs Michael Penix. Also, Chuba Hubbard dominated the backfield touches while Miles Sanders totaled one yard with his three carries. Sanders returned to practice and will probably receive a hefty portion of backfield snaps this weekend.
It’s hard to tell what this Panthers offense vs Falcons defense match-up looks like on paper. Both units have been rather volatile with their production heavily affected by the quality of the opponents. The Falcons defense has had some stifling performances against bad teams in the Raiders and Giants, but they’ve struggled against better offenses like the Vikings and Commanders. The Panthers offense had a relatively explosive showing against the Cardinals a couple weeks back but that was sandwiched between two bad outings against the Cowboys and Buccaneers.
Here are three things the Panthers can do to be the good versions of themselves this weekend.
- Keep Bryce Young upright. Part of the Falcons improved defense in recent weeks is their ability to get to the quarterback. They’ve registered at least three sacks in each of their last five games. Coinciding with that improved pass rush is the emergence of Kaden Elliss as a blitzing linebacker. He had exactly one sack in the first four games of the streak and notched an interception last week after feigning a blitz. Accounting for him will be an important part of any pass protection, and giving Young space to operate will be key to an effective passing game.
- Miles Sanders shows more than he ever has as a Panther. The Panthers made Sanders the highest paid free agent running back in the 2023 offseason, and Sanders has never delivered on that investment. He lost out on snaps to Chuba Hubbard and was left with scraps in terms of touches. Assuming he’s not on any sort of pitch count, he’ll have an opportunity to get a good dosage of snaps and a better chance to get into a rhythm. Hopefully he’s able to do something with that.
- Keep feeding Adam Thielen. Falcons slot corner Dee Alford has been one of Pro Football Focus’s lowest graded cornerbacks this season. Thielen has caught at least five balls in five straight games. He’s been the lone reliable target in the Panthers passing game this season, and he has a good match-up to capitalize on this weekend.