Last week when the Panthers played the Saints, our preview pointed out how Cam Newton and the Panthers’ pass catchers should be able to excel against a team that was ranked 32nd in the league in pass defense and was missing their top two cornerbacks to boot; at the same time, the Panthers had to be aware of their future hall-of-fame quarterback who would be able to pick apart the secondary if the front seven was unable to get home on blitzes or present pressure up front. While the pass catchers lining up across from the Panthers aren’t the most talented, they know their jobs and do them well as the team has one pass catcher that stands out as a high-end option at his position.
Cut and paste that preview and you’re looking at the Patriots as well.
The Patriots pass catchers are made dangerous by the quarterback throwing to them; while the Patriots certainly upgraded their wide receiving corp by trading for speedster Brandin Cooks in the offseason, Chris Hogan and Philip Dorsett would not strike fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators if they didn’t have Tom Brady throwing their way. Brandin Cooks adds a new dimension to the offense that it lacked the past few years, as he has the ability to both take the top off the defense with vertical speed and has great route running skills around the sticks. Cooks has the fourth-highest defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, which measures the performance on plays where Cooks caught the ball, compared to replacement level, adjusted for situation and opponent and then translated into yardage. But Cooks isn’t the only high-end pass catching option in New England. I’ll just let Luke Kuechly describe Rob Gronkowski:
“You’ve got to know where everyone is. They don’t just have guys who line up and run routes, they have guys that are good everywhere. And Gronk’s a matchup nightmare, he’s big, he’s physical. Brady puts the ball right on him, and you watch games and you watch what he’s able to do even when he doesn’t have the ball thrown his way; he occupies people even when he doesn’t have the ball. He’s a big guy, you’ve got to know where he is; he creates space by just his size,” Kuechly said this week. “And he can block.”
With cornerback Daryl Worley not practicing thus far this week, the Panthers may be starting sixth-year cornerback Kevon Seymour, who they acquired via trade from the Buffalo Bills. While both Bradberry and Worley missed the Panthers meeting with the Patriots last year, Seymour faced the Super Bowl MVP twice, albeit playing as an inside corner. “I kind of know what to expect,” Seymour said. “Just going over film, I’m just refreshing my memory because now I’m with a new family.”
The issues with the Patriots wide receivers is less about their talents and abilities, although they all share the same quickness, crisp routes, and ability to burst if they aren’t tackled at first contact; it is more about the ways that both Brady and coach Bill Belichick use them. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks as well as on-field captain Luke Kuechly will both need to be at the top of their game to throw Brady off.
This is brilliant: Bill Belichick explains how they came up w/ a in game adjustment which resulted in a wide open Chris Hogan TD on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/cluDawZ3M2
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) September 28, 2017
Head coach Bill Belichick said earlier this week that big-bodied wide receivers like Devin Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin are always open because no matter what the coverage is like, they are always going to have that advantage; this week they each have a five-inch height advantage over starting cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler. Thought to be one of the best secondaries in the league before the season, the Patriots have actually allowed the most passing yards in the league thus far as both Gilmore and Butler have been disappointing. While Gilmore may have an excuse as he adjusts to a new scheme after signing in free agency, Butler seems to have frozen up in his contract year.
The way for the Panthers to succeed is threefold: First, the Patriots have been extremely susceptible to the deep ball through three weeks, having allowed 18 plays of 20 yards or more in addition to seven of 40 or more. Secondly, last week, mobile quarterback Deshaun Watson gave them fits as he moved around the pocket and escaped contain, so if Newton can play as he has in the past, that should buy more time for the receivers to find open spots. Lastly, the Patriots have had trouble with running backs coming out of the backfield to catch passes; last week D’Onta Foreman was able to have two big plays out of the backfield and Kareem Hunt had 5-for-98 and two scores in week 1. These strategies all involve the others being successful. Complete a couple of deep balls, and the safeties drop back to open up the short passing game; a mobile quarterback forces the Patriots to use a spy which takes a linebacker or safety out of coverage.
This is the second week in a row the Panthers have faced the 32nd ranked pass defense in the league; anything less than a good performance should have Panthers fans and players questioning the personnel from the top down.
