Carolina Panthers run defense has chance to redeem itself on Sunday

The Carolina Panthers need to put forth a better effort.

This may seem like déjà vu all over again. Another Carolina Panthers opponent is set to take the field without their star running back. With Joe Mixon on the shelf for the next couple of weeks due to arthroscopic knee surgery, the Bengals will be forced to trot out veteran Giovani Bernard to fill the void.

It is not as if Bernard is a slouch. He has put together a great career, and although he may be overshadowed by Mixon a bit, the former Tar Heel still should be respected by defenses. In a 13-year career, he has amassed 2,925 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. In addition, his 4.2 yards per carry is also not too shabby.

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His best season yardage-wise came in the 2015 campaign. That year, he rushed the rock 154 times for 730 yards and two touchdowns.

This year, (mostly because he has had to back up Mixon), the numbers are a bit low. He has rushed the ball seven times for 25 yards, averaging 3.6 yards a carry.

Bernard can still put up numbers, but this is another case where the opposition’s top rusher is out of the game. Another golden opportunity presents itself for the Carolina Panthers defense. They did not take advantage of it last week and got torched by everyone from Tevin Coleman to Matt Ryan. In total, they gave up 170 yards on the ground in a game that was very uncharacteristic of the Carolina Panthers defense in general.

For the year, the Carolina Panthers rank No. 25 in rushing defense with 264 yards given up over the first two games. They allowed 4.6 yards per carry. While those are not ideal numbers, those numbers are a bit misleading. In the opener against Dallas, they held Ezekiel Elliott to 69 yards on the ground, which is very good considering the type of damage the former Ohio State produce can do. Although they gave up a rushing touchdown (and Dallas’ only touchdown as it turned out in that game), Elliott was frustrated for most of the day.

That is why this week will be so interesting to watch. These first two games have been a tale of two run defenses. One was very stellar, while the other left a lot to be desired. I suspect that we will see the “stellar” defense on display in this one. I can’t imagine a defense with as much talent as the Carolina Panthers possess having tow bad weeks in a row. Nevertheless, they are human after all and it could happen.

With that being said, they need to right the wrongs of last week and seize the opportunity with Mixon out. Take your chances with Andy Dalton and A.J. Green (as disastrous as that sounds), and take the run defense away. Especially in a division with so many teams playing at a high level, the Panthers need to make sure they are on top of their game.

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Sunday will be a lot of fun to watch on many levels.

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