4 reasons the Carolina Panthers will beat the Vikings in Week 12
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers have Brian Burns
Another reason why the Carolina Panthers can beat the Vikings is Brian Burns. The defensive end is one of the NFL’s hottest young stars after a sensational campaign so far and he is currently leading all NFC defensive ends in Pro Bowl votes after the first batch were counted and verified.
This is no more than Burns deserves. The 2019 first-round pick has been relentless off the edge and has improved his run support significantly, making him a three-down defensive lineman who can make plays at will.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow predicted a multi-sack game for Burns in the not-too-distant future, which happened to arrive just a few short days after his statement against the Lions. Simply put, he was the undoubted star of the show in Week 11 to further enhance his reputation as one of the league’s best at the position.
Burns will be looking to get the better of Minnesota’s impressive right tackle Brian O’Neill this weekend, who is as consistent a performer as you’re likely to find. However, the Panthers defensive leader is almost impossible to stop when in this sort of mood and it might come with even more in the way of production this weekend.