Week 5 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
I know he’s not still on the team. But I don’t care.
The Jaguars finally recognized Blake Bortles is who he is, so they went out and replaced him with Nick Foles for $88 million. Foles may be a Super Bowl legend, but his play has been very streaky and Jacksonville is taking a big risk paying him that amount.
The receiving corps has not looked good at all, but I suppose that would be the case if Bortles was your QB. I’m not particularly worried about any skill player on the offense save for maybe Dede Westbrook, but the defense is where things are much different. Yannick Ngakoue is a stud young pass rusher, and the front office drafted not-Bills-quarterback Josh Allen to work with Ngakoue and Calais Campbell. While the defense isn’t as good as it was in 2017, it has the pieces up front with Ngakoue/Campbell/Allen – plus one of the best corners in the league in Jalen Ramsey.
I think this will be a game dictated by defense if Carolina’s offense starts off sluggish. I have faith that Brian Burns and company can take care of the Jaguars offense, but the Jags’ pass rush will be another story.
Week 8 at San Francisco 49ers
Once again facing the 49ers, Carolina is going up against an upgrade in talent. The San Francisco offense has a bunch of enticing young pieces, including the exciting sophomore Dante Pettis, fifth-round sensation George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Tevin Coleman, Matt Brieda, Jerick McKinnon, and Kyle Juszczyk. Jimmy Garoppolo has only started 10 games in his career due to injuries, so he’s facing a lot of pressure to stay healthy this time around.
Any offense with Kyle Shanahan behind it should look really good, and the offensive line, who gave up a huge amount of QB hits last season, has more experience this time around. The defensive line has been upgraded too, as Dee Ford and Nick Bosa join stud interior lineman DeForest Buckner on the pass rush. I don’t see the secondary making that much of a leap, though.
Going further on Garoppolo, he can execute the meat and potatoes of the Shanahan offense just fine, but his mechanics under pressure have proven sloppy in the small sample size he’s brought to San Francisco. The new look Panthers interior is going to be key in disrupting his comfort level.
Week 9 vs. Tennessee Titans
I’ve done a lot of defending of both Cam Newton and Marcus Mariota, so I wouldn’t expect anything less than both QBs facing off for the second time. Now, you may recall an angry Titans fan complaining about Newton’s dancing the last time these two squared off in the regular season, actually writing a letter about it. You think that’ll be brought up at all?
Anyway, as someone that also covers the Titans, I don’t think they’re much of a pushover. The defense was pretty good last season, and the pass rush has been upgraded to up the ante in this matchup. Cameron Wake is as ageless as they come, though not the same quality he once was, Jurrell Casey is one of the best interior pass rushers in the game, Jeffery Simmons is a talented rookie – if he starts the season on the PUP list, this will be the first game he’s eligible for, Harold Landry was an excellent rookie last year and the linebacker corps includes a tantalizing mix of Jayon Brown, Rashaan Evans, Kamalei Correa, and rookie D’Andre Walker.
In terms of the secondary, I’m not a Malcolm Butler guy, though he improved in the second half of 2018. Kevin Byard is a really good safety, Kenny Vaccaro was a pleasant addition in the 2018 offseason, and Adoree Jackson has shown some flashes but needs to be more consistent.
The offense was criticized by many, particularly Mariota, but I really like his accuracy – to me, his health is the only thing holding him back as he looks to stay afloat in a contract year. Adding guard Rodger Saffold was massive, as he’ll become a big boost to the offensive line. Taylor Lewan is a high quality left tackle, but I’ve never been a Jack Conklin fan. Corey Davis headlines the receiving corps and he’s a good one at that, and I liked the additions of Adam Humphries and A.J. Brown. Delanie Walker might be too old to have a shot at playing at his vintage level, so the TE group is a question mark.
This is a team that looks to run the ball heavily. Derrick Henry has been inconsistent but finished off the last quarter of 2018 spectacularly. Dion Lewis is a talented receiving back that had an inefficient debut in Nashville. Stopping the run game could put pressure on new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to test out the new-look receiving corps against Carolina.
Up Next: The Frozen (?) Tundra Awaits
