Get Back To Running The Ball
The Panthers ran the ball really well against the Rams, and were able to use this to set up some RPOs and to use the threat of the run to help keep Cam Newton upright when he did look to throw. However, against the Bucs, the Panthers struggled to run the ball early, gave up trying to do so and in turn made Cam Newton a sitting duck. If this offense is going to be at all effective given the lack of elite quarterback play, in the short term at least, and the questionable offensive line, they are going to need to run the ball like they did against the Rams.
So why didn’t it work against the Bucs?
Well, for a start, they didn’t run the ball effectively as the game went on because they just stopped trying. Christian McCaffrey had just 16 carries in the game, and five of those came on the opening drive, where he also got 22 of his 37 yards. The fact that after the second drive, the Panthers gave him the ball just 11 times says an awful lot, the fact that he only managed 15 yards on those plays is an issue, but even if the Panthers have a couple of runs go for no real gain on Sunday they have to keep trying in order to stop themselves becoming one-dimensional. NFL plays are not reliable things, just because a run gains one yard once doesn’t mean the same play won’t gain five yards next time you try it.
The other thing the Panthers need to do is be less ambitious with their rushing attack. Of the runs the Panthers did try after the initial drive, far too many were outside runs where they were looking to get a big play on the edge and ended up getting nothing. When they did look to run the ball inside they actually had some success, and they need to make sure they establish the inside run before they look to try and get some chunk plays around the edge. The Panthers have a decent offensive line when it comes to running the ball, but they need to not get too ambitious early, as what this offense needs to survive is a consistent threat on the ground to allow them to open up the deeper passing game, not a few big plays here and there.
Christian McCaffrey is an excellent running back, but he didn’t have his best game against the Bucs – a couple of times he was responsible for trying to bounce the ball outside when he should have taken the yards in front of him, but this offense as a whole needs to learn to walk before it can run. Against the Cardinals, that means taking advantage of their limited potency on the interior defensive line and at linebacker. If the Panthers can get the inside running game working early, that will open up a lot of other things as the game goes on.
Let the running game die when it doesn’t work right away, and Kyle Allen could be in for a long and painful day at work.
Defensive Line Needs To Shine
The Panthers defensive line was meant to have gotten a lot better this offseason, and while there have certainly been flashes of promise so far, that hasn’t really translated to consistent pressure. Fortunately, they are now facing what is really a very mediocre Cardinals offensive line – and one which plays an awful lot of one-on-one protections.
Now they need to produce.
The one caveat to this is that due to Kyler Murray’s mobility, they will need to do this without allowing him to break contain and hurt them on the ground – this will likely put a lot of pressure on the edge rushers in particular to stay disciplined, but given the talent this defensive line is meant to have, they really need to take full advantage of the perceived mismatch and hit their stride going into the Houston game.
While the Cards’ use of a lot of four receiver sets will likely limit the Panthers’ ability to scheme pressure, this defensive line should be more than capable of being effective from a pass rushing sense as one-on-one rushers. If the Panthers can’t get pressure, it’s going to be very hard for them to hold up defensively against the NFL’s better offenses, and if they can’t get pressure against the Cardinals, questions will have to raised about how effective this pass rushing rebuild has actually been.
Daryl Williams vs Chandler Jones
Chandler Jones is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, Daryl Williams is not one of the NFL’s best left tackles. While it is therefore likely, and somewhat understandable, that Daryl Williams might not have the best game of his career on Sunday, what is important both for him and the Panthers is that he is able to be competitive.
If he allows a couple of pressures but otherwise keeps Allen clean, that will both help Williams keep hold of his job for a little while longer and help the Panthers have a chance of throwing the ball with some success. However, if Williams gets as overmatched against Jones as his performance against the Bucs suggests he might, then not only is Kyle Allen in for a long and painful day at the office – but the Panthers will be forced to strongly consider starting Greg Little as soon as the Houston game.
The other thing to watch for is how the Panther try and help Williams, as Rivera has suggested they will, as this could have a significant impact on the game as well. If the Panthers look to keep extra blockers in to help, this could limit Allen’s passing options – and if they ask Greg Van Roten to help across, this will put a lot of pressure on Matt Paradis. Sometimes you need to lose the battle to win the war, and at some point – should it come to this – the Panthers will just need to leave Williams to fight his battle without sacrificing the whole war to try and help him.
The Panthers can still be competitive this season – they will not only need to be much better, but start winning games with some urgency, as a 1-2 record gives them a lot more of a chance than 0-3. Since 1990, 24.9% of teams that have started the season 1-2 have made the playoffs; less than 3% of teams that start 0-3 end up in the postseason tournament.
Not only that, but if the Panthers continue to struggle, the conversation will very quickly turn away from the 2019 season and towards the longer-term future – if that is the case then that’s not going to be a positive conversation for a lot of the people involved.
