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Three players Panthers should key on against Saints

By Danny Jaillet

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 08: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints is introduced prior to playing the Washington Redskins at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 8, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 08: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints is introduced prior to playing the Washington Redskins at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 8, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 09: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with the game ball after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-14 at Raymond James Stadium on December 09, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 09: Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with the game ball after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-14 at Raymond James Stadium on December 09, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Drew Brees

All the Panthers need to do to win the ballgame in decisive fashion on Monday is stop Drew Brees. Easy right? The MVP candidate has been having a tremendous year so far, and he has only suffered a few bumps in the road. However, those few bumps have come in the last two contests the Saints have played in. He played a sloppy game against Tampa Bay last Sunday, pulling out some magic for the win. He struggled against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago and may have shown some ways he can be beaten.

On the year, he has thrown for 3,463 yards 31 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Against Tampa Bay last week, he averaged a 61.2 offensive rating and a 60.8 passing rating. For the game, he went 24-of-31, throwing for 201 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Those are decent numbers for any quarterback. However for Brees, they are average. Sunday marked the third game in a row where he threw an interception. The bottom line here is, the Panthers may have caught him at the right time as he is struggling at the moment.

One of the things the Panthers need to do is to get pressure up the middle and get in the face of the quarterback. He has shown that he has difficulty with a collapsing pocket, especially from the middle. They need to get to him quickly, and not let him have time to throw the football. If he has time to throw, he picks defenses apart, just like Peyton Manning used to do. It makes sense then that he is in the conversation among being one of the league’s greatest quarterbacks of all time. He is certainly a player that the Panthers need to make sure they keep track of. Especially for a defense that has struggled lately against the passing games, they need to have him on lockdown.

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