Now wasn’t that fun?
The Panthers pulled off an upset victory at Houston last Sunday thanks to an incredible effort from the defense, who only gave up 10 points to the Texans offense. The team produced six sacks and ten quarterback hits, and are now tied with the Patriots for the most sacks through Week 4 (18).
They also have the most quarterback hits (35) of any team through four games.
Doing this last week was no small feat, as they took on one of the game’s most explosive playmakers in Deshaun Watson on his own turf. Overall, the team limited him to 160 yards and zero passing touchdowns (though he managed to get a rushing touchdown) as his mobility was surveyed with close attention and the team took away his ability to throw downfield.
Let’s not waste any more time and dive right in to see how the Panthers defense dominated on Sunday.
Sack #1 (Shaq Thompson, 6:33 1st Quarter)
The Panthers’ first sack of the day was caused by the quality hybrid defender Shaq Thompson, who is playing at a high level in a contract year. This occurred on 2nd and 12 at the Carolina 49.
Less than great vision from Watson on this play certainly played a part in this sack, but the pressure from Thompson on the blitz heavily factored in as well. I also love the swipe move he performs on the right guard to get inside the A-gap.
Sack #2 (Mario Addison, 5:50 1st Quarter)
The very next play after Thompson’s sack comes the first of two from Mario Addison on a 3rd and 19 at the Houston 44.
The Texans offensive line does a good job of holding up initially, but the failure of any receiver to get open ultimately dooms this play – and the pressure eventually arrives and devours Watson.
Sack #3 (Mario Addison, 12:34 2nd Quarter)
Addison comes back again with his second sack against the Texans, this time early in the second quarter. This play comes on a 1st and 10 on Houston’s 15 yard-line.
Another coverage sack reveals itself for the Panthers. The high quality secondary shows its value here, making Watson hold onto the ball. Impressively, the defensive front doesn’t allow the quarterback to get too far outside or attempt to make a play, and Addison makes sure that it’s far too late to consider that option.
Sack #4 (Javien Elliot and Brian Burns)
A split sack rears its head on sack #4, and this one occurs on 1st and 10 at Houston’s 40.
One thing to point out is Carlos Hyde inadvertently runs into Tytus Howard while trying to stop Elliot, injuring the rookie right tackle on this play. This plays a big role in freeing Elliot, but you won’t see anyone from the Panthers defense complaining in this case.
Sack #5 (Bruce Irvin, 14:19 4th Quarter)
The first of two sacks in the final quarter of the game, this Bruce Irvin sack occurs on 2nd and 10 at the Houston 25.
Perhaps Gerald McCoy should’ve been credited for a split sack on this play, but at least he can say he helped contribute to the pressure. And, once again, the secondary did its part on this play.
Sack #6 (Vernon Butler, 4:11 4th Quarter)
Finally, let’s discuss the biggest sack of the game, occurring on 2nd and 6 at the Houston 36. This was the last of the two takeaways from the Panthers defense and Vincent Richardson has already gone in-depth on this play and how it changed the game.
A good portion of the sacks created by the Panthers defense could be attributed to the coverage, but this was one such play where the pass rush deserves all the credit. Since the score was 13-10 in favor of Carolina, this prevented the Texans from potentially tying the game up (they were forced to drive the length of the field after Joey Slye made a field goal to extend the lead to six).
Even without Donte Jackson, the Panthers defense played a terrific game. There were a couple of open throws Deshaun Watson missed that definitely would’ve affected the outcome of the game if the timing was better, but otherwise Carolina successfully shut down one of the NFL’s bright young stars using a combination of multiple different zone coverages and keeping everything in front of them.
This just goes to show the effort the Panthers put into improving the defense in the offseason. Adding Brian Burns, Gerald McCoy, Christian Miller and Bruce Irvin while adjusting to a multiple-look scheme has significantly improved the quality of the pass rush. Guys like James Bradberry and Eric Reid have proven their worth, and depth pieces like Ross Cockrell have made big plays when asked upon.
Overall, this has continued an impressive start to the 2019 season for this new-look Panthers defense.
