4 Lions players the Panthers should worry about most in Week 11
By Dean Jones
Marvin Jones – WR
With Kenny Golladay missing a large part of the season through injury, the Lions have once again gone back to Marvin Jones as their primary receiving threat. The talented wideout has all the skills necessary to make game-changing plays at the drop of a hat and the Carolina Panthers need to monitor where he lines up on the field at all times.
Jones is a seasoned pro who knows how to get open quickly and is coming off a season-high ten targets against Washington, bringing in eight for 94 receiving yards and a touchdown. The former fifth-round pick comes alive in the red zone thanks to his polished route-running that could cause significant problems for the Panthers secondary if they perform like they did last week in the face of Tampa Bay’s outstanding weapons in the passing game.
Matthew Stafford has a tremendous amount of faith in Jones, and with good reason. The wideout has accumulated 246 receptions, 3,772 receiving yards, 32 touchdowns, and a yards-per-catch average of 15.1 during their five years together in Detroit. And although Golladay is the No. 1 option, having a productive veteran alongside the Pro Bowler has no doubt benefitted him tremendously.
It will be interesting to see which way the Panthers go to counteract Jones’ threat. Donte Jackson has been dealing with a toe injury that’s really hampered him at times this season and Rasul Douglas is coming off his worst game of the campaign by some margin against the Bucs.