The Panthers travel to Washington to battle the top team in the NFC East a week after escaping the last place team in the same division as they used the longest game-winning field goal in NFL history to squeak by the New York Giants 33-31; while Cam Newton’s history against the Redskins – four wins in four games, a 115.4 passer rating and nine touchdowns against no interceptions – seems to have the Panthers on the road to an impressive offensive performance, the eight-year vet is coming off his worst game of the season, both in terms of rushing yardage and passer rating.
While the Panthers are hoping to return two captains in Greg Olsen and Thomas Davis, their impacts may not be felt as much as people believe – especially if Ron Rivera and the coaches are able to resist the urge to use their “shiny new toys” on the full complement of snaps – but with both interceptions last week coming at the expense of a miscommunication between Cam Newton and rookie tight end Ian Thomas and the Panthers allowing 4.58 yards per rush to go along with a seemingly anemic pass rush, both Olsen and Davis will be able to help on both sides of the ball.
The Redskins are dealing with not only a short week of rest, but a stinging 43-16 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday – it’s easier to let coach Jay Gruden explain his team’s performance at New Orleans:
“We got gutted, ” Gruden told us this week. “No ifs, ands or buts about it, we got gutted. They didn’t even punt. We blew coverages, we didn’t rush the passer – we didn’t really do anything well on that side of the ball. We had a couple of third down stops and every time we got a third down stop there was a penalty. A holding call or an unnecessary roughness or self-inflicted wounds. We had an opportunity to get off the field, but we shot ourselves in the foot and penalized ourselves unnecessarily and then costs us some key situations where they would have to punt it.”
“This week is going to be no different. Cam Newton is one of the better ones in the league as far as versatility is concerned. We’re going to have to strap it up and play better.”
Our Five-Point Preview To Watch on Sunday:
Five Players To Watch
Curtis Samuel, WR
A week after his first touchdown, Curtis Samuel appears ready to be more involved in the Panthers offense – with Damiere Byrd missing practice on Thursday, if the sixth wideout on the roster were to miss time and Samuel has more chances to get the ball, he may begin to live up to the high expectations that are set for him. While Samuel only had 12 snaps last week, he said this week that he has been running after practice to get himself back into game shape after not being able to practice for almost a month – while he may not get a full amount of snaps, expect Samuel’s time on the field to increase.
Josh Norman, CB
Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
Yes, you know that Norman had a great career here in Carolina, and while he played well when he first arrived in Washington, he has had trouble this season; through four games, Norman has allowed a passer rating of 156.3 when opponents have thrown at him – that’s the second-worst mark out of 110 cornerbacks. He was briefly benched on Monday against the Saints, but returned; while Jay Gruden said Norman doesn’t hold a grudge, the emotional corner will certainly be playing at his best against his former team.
“I know ‘1’ has got something special cooked up for us,” Norman said about Cam Newton; both players will likely have something cooked up for each other.
Thomas Davis, LB
It will be an emotional return for the Panthers all-time leading tackler, but Davis doesn’t just bring an emotional lift to the team, he also brings an improved pass rush from the linebackers group – something the Panthers have been sorely lacking. The Panthers have only sacked the quarterback on 6.4% of opponents’ pass attempts through four games – while Redskins’ quarterback Alex Smith has a high completion percentage, he’s only thrown four touchdowns through four games. Davis will bring a sorely-needed boost to both the pass rush as well as in coverage over the middle.
Greg Olsen, TE
If Olsen is able to suit up on Sunday, he will immediately bring not only a marked presence as a pass-catcher at the tight end position – Ian Thomas has averaged 20.5 yards/game; Olsen had more than that in a half of work in Week 1 – but another dimension for Norv Turner to fold into this offense. As defenses try to adjust to Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel, if they are forced to account for the tight end up the seam – even if he’s not at 100% – that will be a huge boon for the Panthers. Jay Gruden said he noticed that the Panthers scheme had shifted without Olsen, so another option will continue to add wrinkles. Ron Rivera and the coaching staff will have to monitor his usage, though – the last thing the Panthers can afford is a reinjury.
Adrian Peterson, RB
Photo Credit: Christian Peterson/Getty Images
While we know that Adrian Peterson is an impressive runner out of the backfield, averaging 4 yards per carry – his highest number since he led the league in rushing in 2015 when Norv Turner was his offensive coordinator, but what has been incredibly impressive has been his pass-catching ability out of the backfield, something that wasn’t his forte throughout his 12-year career. He’s averaging (per PFF) 3.89 yards per pass route run, which would be the highest mark in NFL history if it were to hold up – while it likely won’t, Peterson’s 19.4 yards per reception is by far his highest since 2009.
“AP a beast, man!” said Mario Addison. “That guy, he can hit any hole and make anything happen; I’ve played against him a few times – he’s a good back. You’ve just got to be on your stuff with him, because once he gets in the open field, he’s a bitch to bring down.”
Four Fun Facts
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Carolina has started 3-1 for the seventh time in franchise history; the Panthers made the playoffs in five of the previous six seasons after starting 3-1 or better – the only time they didn’t convert that first-quarter start into a playoff appearance was 2002.
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With the return of Thomas Davis, the Panthers could have seven former Pro Bowlers in the defensive starting lineup against Washington – Julius Peppers, Kawann Short, Dontari Poe, Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly, Eric Reid and Mike Adams. The Panthers have 15 Pro Bowlers on the roster, the most in the NFL.
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The Panthers have a +5 turnover differential in 2018 – the Panthers have won 14 consecutive games when winning the turnover battle; the Redskins have forced at least one turnover in eight straight games.
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The Redskins have scored on 85.71% of their goal-to-go possessions, good for fourth-best in the NFL thus far in 2018; on the other side of the ball, the Panthers have allowed teams to score in the red zone on eight of nine attempts.
Up Next: Three Matchups That Matter, Two Graphs That Might Explain The Game, and One Bold Prediction
