4 most important Panthers players at the Chiefs in Week 9

Brian Burns – Carolina Panthers DE

There is little any defense can do to fully stop Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. His sublime gifts have set the NFL alight during his three seasons as a starter, which has included an MVP award and a Super Bowl victory.

Getting pressure on the signal-caller is going to be crucial. This responsibility will fall primarily on Brian Burns‘ shoulders, who has developed into a three-down threat at defensive end who has an incredibly bright future.

The former first-round pick was expected to take a significant leap forward as the team’s No. 1 pass-rushing option and they haven’t been disappointed. Burns’ influence is steadily progressing with every game and he clearly has plenty of momentum ahead of his clash against the league’s biggest name and arguably its best player.

Burns might only have three sacks to his name, but that doesn’t tell the full story about the sort of impact he’s having. The Florida State product is a nightmare to block thanks to a combination of power, improved pass-rushing moves, and elite explosiveness that is up there with the very best.

Carolina isn’t getting much in the way of pressure from elsewhere, which will be a problem going forward unless current players don’t raise their game or better options are brought in. Burns is more than capable of causing a disruption even with more attention coming his way from protection schemes and this needs to continue at the Chiefs.