Carolina Panthers must shut down a hobbled WR group
The New York Giants have had horrible luck this season with injuries and no position shows that better than their wide receivers.
On Thursday, five receivers were listed on the injury report with two not participating at all. Those two are volatile breakout rookie Kadarius Toney and veteran Kenny Golladay, two of their three top playmakers.
This is a welcome reprieve for a Carolina Panthers secondary that has felt the loss of Jaycee Horn more than anyone expected. It also provides an easier game to bring newcomers C.J. Henderson and Stephon Gilmore, providing they are both ready to go.
Limiting a young quarterback’s ability to find open targets is always a priority. That should be a relatively easy task on Sunday even if all of those injured players make a go of it as they will all be hampered in some way.
Another thing that locking down those receivers will do is give the defensive line the highest commodity of all. Time.
If the coverage downfield is as good as it by all rights should be on Sunday then Jones will have nowhere to get rid of the ball and we all know what that means.
Shutting down those receivers will also force Jones into making throws he otherwise would not make given the choice. The types of throws that make any fan wince.
The types of throws that lead to a three-interception and zero touchdown day.
Just like the defensive line, the Panthers secondary has an opportunity to make a real statement in Week 7 and need to make the most of it.