4 Cardinals players that the Panthers need to keep quiet in Week 4
By Dean Jones
Kenyan Drake – RB
There were a few eyebrows raised when the Arizona Cardinals traded for Kenyan Drake last season. The running back looked demotivated at the struggling Miami Dolphins and the move seems to have given him a new lease of life.
Stopping the run has been a problem for the Carolina Panthers. They were among the NFL’s worst in 2019 and the defense is currently giving up 124 yards-per-game on the ground, which is ranked No. 21 through three weeks.
Drake will more than fancy his chances of gaining some significant yardage at Bank of America Stadium, especially as the Panthers will need to focus on the substantial threat posed by quarterback Kyler Murray running out of the backfield.
The former Alabama standout has 219 rushing yards and one touchdown from 54 carries this season. There might be even more to come as the campaign goes on where Drake is concerned and the Panthers will not want their defense to become the one that feels his wrath.
Their defensive front turned in their best performance of the season last weekend. This was matched by some exceptional production from the outside linebacker duo of Shaq Thompson and Jeremy Chinn, which was another key contributing factor to their victory.
This is a trend that needs to continue and even improve against Drake in Week 4, otherwise, it could see them take a step backward in no uncertain terms.