4 keys to victory for the Panthers vs. Saints in Week 17

Chip the edge

The Carolina Panthers are down to the bare bones on the offensive line. They will probably be without the services of left tackle Russell Okung once again and with Greg Little and Dennis Daley already on the reserve/injured list, it might see Matt Kaskey thrust into a starting role after being called up from the practice squad this week.

This will be music to the ears of New Orleans and their dominant defensive front. Cameron Jordan and Trey Hendrickson will see this as a real opportunity to bolster their impressive 2020 numbers before heading into the postseason and given that Taylor Moton is on one side of the protection, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out which area they’re going to work.

That makes it even more essential to get Kaskey and the struggling Chris Reed at guard all the help they need. Using chip blocks from the tight ends is going to be crucial to at least giving the duo some sort of chance of keeping the Saints’ blindside pass-rush at bay. But even that might not be enough.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater needs enough time to go through his reads in pursuit of finishing an inconsistent campaign on a positive note. There are some real confidence issues surrounding the signal-caller that the Saints will be all-too-aware of and if his offensive line fails to hold their end of the bargain, it might be another long afternoon under center.