Force Turnovers
Only three teams – Jets, Dolphins and Bucs – throw interceptions at a higher rate than Washington, with 3.4% of all pass attempts ending in an interception; while their fumble numbers are far more reasonable, this is still an offense that turns the ball over quite a bit, and given their struggles offensively in general and the quality of their defense, forcing turnovers looks to be the surest way for the Panthers to come away from Sunday’s game with a win.
Unfortunately, having started off extremely hot in this regard – and still ranking fifth in the NFL in total turnovers forced – the interception against the Saints last Sunday marked their first turnover since the game against the Titans nearly a month ago. Of course, turnovers are stochastic events, and it is not unusual that they haven’t been evenly spaced throughout the season – but they should also correlate somewhat with the opposing offense, and Washington offers a prime opportunity for some interceptions in particular.
Dwayne Haskins might one day be a really good quarterback, but one of the biggest concerns coming out was the speed with which he was able to process defenses and at this point, it still looks like he is struggling with the pace of the NFL game – not unusual for a rookie QB – and given Rivera’s experience as a defensive playcaller and the large amount of zone this defense plays, the Panthers should hope to be able to force him into a few rushing decisions over the course of the game, all they need to do is turn those mistakes into picks.
Offensive Line Jumble
Greg Van Roten is out for the season, Greg Little certainly wasn’t in a state to play at the end of the Saints game and Dennis Daley has been dealing with a groin injury for the best part of a month. In short, the Panthers’ offensive line isn’t exactly healthy. While two of the above are yet to be technically ruled out of the game, it would be a surprise if the Panthers are able to roll out their ideal starting offensive line on Sunday.
The question is whether this is something they can cope with.
The short answer is likely no, as while Little and Daley both look very promising, they are both still very young and prone to inconsistency even without the unhelpful influence of injury. As happened during the Saints’ game, it is likely that Daryl Williams will be the first to step into any absence, and he hasn’t exactly been enjoying a stellar season coming off injury; the only other depth player of any note on the roster is Tyler Larsen, who was last seen struggling significantly in the preseason.
Not helping any of this is the fact that Washington rank third in the NFL in pressure rate, despite ranking in the bottom half of the NFL in blitz percentage. This means that injuries aside, they offer something of a challenge for most NFL offensive lines, even if they have struggled to convert pressure to sacks so far this season. They are particularly potent on the interior, and with Van Roten out, whoever ends up playing at left guard could face a real challenge going up against Washington’s excellent interior defensive linemen.
This all sounds quite doom-and-gloom, and it is certainly true that Sunday could get really, really ugly if the Panthers are forced into consistent passing situations, and this will not be helped by Washington’s 10th ranked run defense, but if the Panthers are going to be able to do much of anything offensively, they are going to need to show their offensive line depth is better on turf than on paper.
Cover Terry McLaurin
McLaurin has been really good this year, and on a Washington offense not exactly blessed with a ton of receiving options, the last thing the Panthers can allow is for one player to have a huge game and in so doing bail out the rest of the passing game. This likely doesn’t mean going so far as to double McLaurin on every play, but he should offer an interesting challenge for the Panthers’ defensive backs, not being an obvious fit for either Jackson or Bradberry to cover – so it will be interesting to see how the Panthers try and match up with him.
In terms of how McLaurin looks to attack defensive backs, he seems to try and force plays vertical quickly before using the pressure that puts on the defensive back to create underneath separation. This is a tactic that is far from unique to McLaurin, but it can still be extremely effective. For Bradberry, it will likely test his vertical speed, and for Jackson it will test his footwork, something that has been exposed at times this season. The Panthers best bet might be Bradberry with some help over the top to allow him to focus more on routes breaking backwards or sideways, but this in turn could cause issues as it could leave them exposed if other receivers are able to step up.
Very rarely is one receiver on their own able to completely dominate a game, and as good as McLaurin has been, it would be a failure on the part of the Panthers if he was able to do so on Sunday. However, in a game that could be really very defensive in nature, it is crucial that the Panthers don’t allow him to make a big play here or there to give Washington a chance at winning a game that the Panthers really need to make sure they secure.
