Carolina Panthers secondary ready to keep Odell Beckham scoreless

A revamped Carolina Panthers secondary faces a tough assignment against Odell Beckham this week.

Last time a Carolina Panthers defensive back squared off against Odell Beckham, it resulted in six flags, multiple personal fouls and a one-game suspension for the New York Giants receiver. Beckham was targeted nine times, catching six passes for 76 yards and a touchdown as quarterback Eli Manning brought his club back from a 35-7 deficit to tie, before losing by a Panthers field goal as time expired.

The game was marred by multiple skirmishes between former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman and Beckham, who dropped an early touchdown pass that would have played a role in the game outcome and battle between the two. Beckham won’t face Norman this time around but his replacement, James Bradberry and rookie cornerback Donte Jackson are both ready for the challenge.

Scoring double-digit touchdowns in his first three NFL seasons, Beckham suffered an ankle injury last year in Week 5 and surgery required him to miss the remainder of the season. He finished the year with just three touchdowns. Entering 2018, a return to his prior performance level was expected but through four games, Beckham has yet to find the end zone.

The Giants are 1-3 but it’s not as if the star receiver has gone unnoticed. Twice he has posted 100-plus yard games, registering at least four receptions in every game to this point. On Sunday, a revamped Panthers secondary will get their opportunity at slowing him down.

More from Cat Crave

While Jackson has been rumored to be increasing his verbal exchanges, similar to Norman, he isn’t expected to draw a majority of the assignments on Beckham. Instead, Carolina will turn to Bradberry who fared well against Falcons star receiver Julio Jones earlier this year.

Jones finished with five catches for 64 yards but was also kept out of the end zone. A similar performance against Beckham would solidify Bradberry’s case as a shut down corner in the making and build the confidence of a group that surrendered 352 passing yards to Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in their last outing.

The addition of safety Eric Reid, to fill a roster position vacated by Da’Norris Searcy who was placed on injured reserve after suffering two different concussions in a short time span, should also bolster the back end of the Carolina secondary.

Next. NFC South Preview - Week 5. dark

Playing alongside veteran Mike Adams, the former Pro Bowl nominee should be available to help contain Beckham and the Giants passing attack.

Home/Carolina Panthers News