Two weeks have passed in the 2018 season and the Carolina Panthers find themselves 1-1. It was a disappointing loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week Two, but there is no need to panic just yet. A lot of things went wrong for the Panthers in Atlanta but they were still able to keep in the game displaying their roster’s balance. Ron Rivera‘s team will host the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals Sunday afternoon and will look to keep pace with the rest of the NFC South.
Pressuring Andy Dalton will be the Key to the Carolina Panthers Pass Rush Success in Week Three
Bengals Previous Game
Andy Dalton and the Bengals shredded up the Baltimore Ravens defense on Thursday Night and wound up with a 34-23 victory. Cincinnati performed very well all-around and had a balanced attack on offense. Dalton finished the game with 265 passing yards and four touchdowns while running back Joe Mixon had 84 rushing yards on 21 carries.
The key to the Bengals success last week was the offensive line creating a clean pocket for Dalton. The quarterback was never sacked by the Baltimore defense and was only hit on four different occasions. Dalton got into a rhythm and never broke stride completing 24 passes to eight different receivers.
Panthers Previous Game
The Panthers performance against the Falcons in Week Two mirrored the likes of the Ravens versus the Bengals. Matt Ryan had all sorts of time to throw the ball and put on a clinic against the Panthers secondary. A large reason for that was Ryan went almost untouched the entire ballgame. The Panthers managed just two sacks and two quarterback hits. That will have to change in order for the Panthers to pick up a win versus the Bengals.
Banged up Backfield
Working in the Panthers favor this week is the number of injuries at the Bengals running back position. Mixon underwent knee surgery that will keep him out for 2-4 weeks, Giovani Bernard suffered a minor knee injury that has kept him limited at practices and recently acquired back Tra Carson injured his hamstring, forcing the team to waive him and bring in Thomas Rawls, who then left Wednesday’s practice with cramps. The only fully healthy running back the Bengals have going into Sunday is Mark Walton, which bodes well for the Panthers in stopping the run game and forcing the Bengals to pass.
Dial Up the Pressure, Eric Washington
Last year’s defensive coordinator Steve Wilks was not afraid to call blitzes and used it effectively, as the team finished with the sixth-highest pressure rate in the NFL. He, unfortunately, took a head coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals this off-season.
The Panthers have a veteran-heavy defensive line that does not feature any elite individual pass rushers. Julius Peppers was once that guy, but he is well past his prime. Wes Horton is a hustle and heart player but does not scare you in one-on-one scenarios. Kawann Short is a force in the middle but sees a lot of double teams. And Mario Addison has good speed and bend off the edge, but he does struggle against the better offensive tackles in the league. Linebacker Shaq Thompson may be the best individual pass rusher on this Carolina defense.
Enter new defensive coordinator Eric Washington. Washington let his front four attempt to create pressure much of the game against the Falcons and it did not work out so well. He was hesitant to call as many blitzes and may have been turned off after Ryan got into a groove. In preparing for Dalton, he will need to force the issue and send some blitzes early in the game. Let linebacker Luke Kuechly and safeties Rashaan Gaulden and Mike Adams get involved in the pass rush. Force the Bengals offensive line into making the right protection reads.
Of course, with blitzing comes the risk of big plays down the field if the pass rush fails to get to the quarterback in time. This happened on many occasions in 2017 but the pressure got to the quarterback more often than not. Washington will need to trust his corners a bit more in one-on-one coverage and send the blitz early and often to get Dalton uncomfortable.
Attack the Weakest Link
The Bengals offensive line has been solid thus far in 2018 with the exception of right guard Alex Redmond. Redmond has struggled both in pass protection and run blocking and is one of the lowest graded guards this season according to Pro Football Focus.
#Bengals G Alex Redmond has allowed the second-most pressures (10) and ranks last in pass-blocking efficiency (93.2) among all NFL guards through Week 2.
— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) September 17, 2018
Starting center Billy Price is also out with a foot injury forcing backup Trey Hopkins to step up. Washington has to exploit this obvious weak spot up the middle and lineup Short whenever he can against Redmond in pass situations. Using Kuechly and Thompson in the double-A gap look they often use should be really effective too with an inexperienced snapper at the helm.
If the Panthers defense can get Dalton uncomfortable and force him to rush his throws, that should put them in a good position to win Sunday’s ball game.
Prediction:
Panthers 22 – 13 Bengals
