4 reasons the Carolina Panthers will beat the Lions in Week 11
By Dean Jones
The potential P.J. Walker factor
There does appear some doubt as to whether Teddy Bridgewater will be good to go against the Lions. The quarterback suffered an MCL sprain on the opposite knee to that which he injured so severely in 2016, which has left him limited in practice and with severe questions surrounding his status for the game.
If Bridgewater is unable to take his place under center for the Carolina Panthers for the first time since he signed a big-money deal in free agency, then P.J. Walker might be the man who gets the job. The former XFL standout has been named the backup over Will Grier more often than not this season and he might just have the sort of skill set that can cause Detroit some serious problems.
Walker is a dual-threat weapon that has a big arm to make plays downfield. He doesn’t have much in the way of experience at the next level, but the Panthers won’t get a better chance to see what the player can do in the big leagues.
If it doesn’t work out, it’s not that much of a big deal.
Carolina isn’t playing for anything more than pride for the remainder of the campaign and if Walker fails to make the most out of his chance, the coaching staff will know he isn’t a reliable option moving forward.
That being said, there would be something of a surprise element to throwing Walker into a staring role and no doubt Joe Brady has a few tricks up his sleeve if Bridgewater fails to prove his fitness in time.