Dontari Poe needs to step up on Sunday for Panthers

The Panthers veteran could use a breakout game. Could Sunday be his chance?

There are plenty of Carolina Panthers who need to have a big game on Sunday. However, I will just stick with one for now. Dontari Poe has had a slow start to the season, and he could certainly use a big game to boost his confidence and raise his level of play.

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On the year, the ex-Falcon has six tackles, one quarterback hit, and no sacks. That certainly is not what I thought the Panthers were getting when signing him back in March. Granted, there is obviously still a lot of time left in the season. However, I expected him to have made a bigger impact to this point.

In speaking to the media on Thursday, Poe talked about staying within himself as a player. Furthermore, he did not sound too worried about the fact that big plays had not come his way yet. It was not in a “I don’t care” type of way. Rather, he sounded reassuring when speaking to the media on Thursday.

"“It’s tough, because as an athlete, as a playmaker, as a pro, you want to get out there and make plays right away,” Poe said at his locker Thursday. “Sometimes you just have to stick with it and let things come as they need to.“The plays will come. We’ll be alright.”"

I predict that he will have a big game on Sunday. The Eagles are known for their passing attack and rightly so. Any team with Carson Wentz should be feared through the air. However, the do have a very solid running attack. They currently rank No. 12 in the National Football League in rushing yards. With 662 yards on the ground, they are not to be taken lightly.

Even though they have suffered a rash of injuries at the position, they still have experience. Per the most recent chart from the Eagles’ official website, Darren Sproles is the top running back at the moment. Although he may not have the same explosiveness he used to, he is still very shifty, and as a seasoned veteran, he knows what it takes to get the job done.

As a result, I believe Poe will have a chance to perform well. It would be nice to see him make a couple disruptive tackles in the backfield. At the very least, I would like to see him take away the running lanes. He has the size to be a playmaker in the backfield and if he can at least get penetration and bother Wentz, I would consider that a good day. The Panthers are No. 2 in the league with 292 tackles on the year and they would certainly like to add to that number.

Next. Panthers injury report. dark

Dontari Poe needs to show me something. Even though he has by no means been a flop for the Panthers, performing well on Sunday would jumpstart his season.

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