Carolina Panthers: Keys to finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers

Strong play in the secondary

Carolina’s secondary needs to rebound after a rough week last week. To their credit, the defense didn’t give up many points last week. However, big gains defensively were definitely noticeable.

In total, the Patriots caught 23 passes for 209 yards. They averaged 9.1 yards per catch on 31 targets. A 19-yard pass was the longest of the evening. In the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers will be going up against a team that had similar success through the air.

The Steelers passing game caught 18 receptions on 31 targets for 217 yards. They averaged 12.1 yards per catch. The Carolina Panthers secondary will have their work cut out for them. This will give us a chance to see the type of depth the Carolina Panthers have in the secondary. Depth was something they were missing last year. Now, we can see exactly if depth is something they still need or if they will be able to suffice and play well with what they have.

I’ll be watching the secondary very closely. I’m confident they can rebound. It’s not too often that this unit has back-to-back bad weeks. Playing well here would signal some consistency. Consistency is something the defense as a whole was missing last year. The Panthers need to focus on playing well and establishing good defensive habits early.