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Three players Panthers should key on against Buccaneers

By Danny Jaillet

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 04: Donte Jackson #26 of the Carolina Panthers intercepts a pass intended for DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter of their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 04: Donte Jackson #26 of the Carolina Panthers intercepts a pass intended for DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter of their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gestures to a fan before the game at Raymond James Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gestures to a fan before the game at Raymond James Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Will Vragovic/Getty Images) /

Mike Evans

I’m running out of superlatives to talk about this guy. Mike Evans is one of the most prolific playmakers in the entire National Football League. Tremendous athleticism, great hands, and breathtaking speed are just some of the traits he possesses. Evans has been nothing but successful ever since he has come into the league, and he does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. He should be the main focus of the Panthers. If they do not defend him well, they will be in trouble.

Evans currently ranks fifth in the National Football League with 1,073 yards on the season. He ranks fifth in the league with 97.5 yards recorded per game. Furthermore, he is tied with DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans with 50 receiving first downs on the season. The bottom line is, if you don’t stop him,  he will tear you apart. Averaging exactly 17 yards per catch that ranks them eighth in the National Football League. He knows how to spread the field and has made a living off of being the big-play receiver.

This is bad news for the Panthers. They have not been able to stop big-play receivers over the past couple of weeks. That is why they must to make Mike Evans their top player to key on. In the last slide, we talked about how Winston possesses touch on his throws. If he is having a good day, my guess is that he will look towards Evans quite a bit. Why wouldn’t you? You have arguably one of the best pass- catchers in the National Football League. You might as well use him.

How can the Panthers stop him? Bump him a bit when he comes off the line. That forces him to get a little uncomfortable and can mess up his timing a bit. Play him tight, so that he can’t get ahead of you. Maybe even double him if you have to. Do whatever it takes to make sure that he does not have a good day. At the very least, make it hard for him to have a good day. If the Panthers can do that, they have a very realistic shot of winning this game. Evans is the key to that offense. If the Panthers can stop him, they will be in good shape.

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