4 keys to victory for the Carolina Panthers at the Chargers in Week 3

Keeping Keenan Allen’s influence to a minimum

The Carolina Panthers will need to be wary of the threat posed by the exceptional offensive weapons available to the Chargers. They are loaded with playmakers who can make a real difference if given the opportunity and one way the defense can do this is by limiting Keenan Allen‘s production.

Allen is still one of the best in the business and is as good a route runner as you will find anywhere in the league. The wideout has a rare ability to impact the game on the outside or in the slot with equal impact and the Panthers’ suspect secondary needs to try and thwart the player’s threat in any way possible.

This will also be a job for defensive coordinator Phil Snow, who has made some strange decisions over the last fortnight. The experienced college coach deserves credit for making adjustments at the half in their loss at the Bucs. But the damage had already been done and his use of specific schemes played a role in their demise.

The former third-round pick out of California has brought in 11 of 17 targets for 133 receiving yards over the last two games. Allen will be a favorite target of Justin Herbert thanks to his reliability and proven production. So whether this will result in Donte Jackson shadowing him consistently remains to be seen.

It might be more beneficial for Rasul Douglas to assume this responsibility and allow Jackson to go with Mike Williams deeper down the field. But how the Panthers cope with Allen could have significant ramifications either way on the eventual result.