‘Regular’ defense won’t surprise Bengals, Kuechly & Co. on lock-load
The Bengals offense better be ready…
Overall, Panther fandom lies somewhere on the spectrum of million-person freakout that was Cleveland after last nights first victory in two years (which are akin to dog years to the suffering) and that other Ohio team—meaning State, not the Cincinnati Bengals.
One Buckeye coach chastised the faithful for “…(if) don’t win 11 games and play for the national title every year, you’re disappointed” mentality. Right now, it seems to some that losing to Atlanta requires major reassessment, and reality is, defense needs to open a can of ‘whup-what’ on Andy Dalton from first opportunity to last.
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That’s certainly not giving offense to anyone, and Carolina defense has shoulders broad enough to take the heat for Matt Ryan’s O-line and Coleman eating their collective lunch. Speaking of offense, Newton-CMC-Funchess et al put forth a quantifiably better display in second half for what became a one-play-close game because offense didn’t stop moving the chains when down 24-10. Several receivers had earlier drops, but down the stretch, pretty solid. Ian Thomas had one for a first down, Devin Funchess gave himself up by going to ground so Newton got one last play vs. trying to score with :05 left on final drive, very smart play.
That’s got to be good coaching, and just guessing whether ‘Riverboat Ron’ and Turner might have something special for DJ Moore against Bengals, Coach Rivera says Moore has some swagger going after first TD catch.
That chatter about one-dimensional, I’m certainly not seeing that.
14 catches as ‘check down’ got results like hitting a tight end, and for SURE seeing McCaffrey turning upfield in space bring joy to a fans heart, concern to D-coordinators. Saying ‘one-dimensional’ for those throws shows a lack of how it’s supposed to work on linebackers, and pardon me folks, Cats still got 120 rushing. Fans do NOT need to worry about whether CMC has sufficient pep in his step when playoffs come around, or if 150 catch record might possibly wear him out either.
How many times has CMC made you go hmmm… already regarding that extra five pounds of muscle you hear about? (and oh my! how they must feel about Baker Mayfield in Cleveland right now!) His sticking a shoulder into Sean Lee and requiring a gang tackle against Dallas comes to mind as much as 71-yard ZOOM! in preseason, turning an 8-yd. reception and taking a blast into 11-yds. and a first down last week, THIS is what fans should’ve been expecting from Turner offense.
If Anderson starts getting more of those touches on receptions, things can click up another gear easily. Jarius Wright earns his yardage, glad to have a Mr. Third Down guy not named Olsen. Will Anderson get the call for one-plus yard on 4th down? Riverboat Ron probably wouldn’t tell you in advance.
Some feel losing to Atlanta required major reassessment, while the reality is simple– defense needs to open a can of ‘whup-what’ on Andy Dalton from first opportunity to last.
Look on Coach Rivera’s face is always stern-focused, and he always seems to get good advice on challenges. Defensive coordinator Eric Washington is even more down-by-down intense, and that will be root cause of a professional, high-intensity front seven crackdown on Sunday. Should anyone want to discuss whether line gets a deserved share of love-recognition with Mario Addison Monday morning, that would be a better time than anything before 1:05 on Sunday.
In all scenarios where the Panthers win…
The rebound from blah defensive contribution against Atlanta is most important. By all accounts, Bengals RB Joe Mixon will be out, and when ‘poor mans McCaffrey’ is used regarding Giovani Bernardi based on versatility, he’s less elusive than Coleman, and miles from weapon CMC is going to continue to be for Panthers offense. Defense doesn’t expect to have another 100 yard gainer on it anytime soon.
Keeping BOTH Kuechly and Shaq Thompson from being constantly disruptive was the deal for ATL, and its not reputation that front seven made so many sacks in 2017. Last game is history though, and Washington’s infusing a scoring/disruptive mentality on full defense hasn’t changed, neither has the personnel. Kuechly missed some tackles? Normally that would be cause for a Senate investigation, but they’re busy right now, so expect Luuuuuke! to ring out this week vs. Bengals.
Next. Three key matchups for Panthers. dark
Until they come up against what’s considered a really difficult secondary like Philly, its legitimate to say Newton’s working the Turner script pretty well—70% *should* get you an extra nod of acceptance. Without saying offensive line situation is solved, there is a light in that tunnel as well. If Chris Clark needs some help with DT Geno Atkins or DE Carlos Dunlap, that’s what tight ends are good for, too.