4 crucial matchups the Carolina Panthers must win at Dolphins in Week 12
By Noah Bryce
87. 1 PM ET. Panthers +1.0. 5-6. FOX. Sunda, Nov 28. 4-7. 59
The Carolina Panthers need a win in Week 12 to keep their playoff hopes alive heading into the bye. What are some matchups they must win to keep relevant?
That was a disappointing ending to a promising day at Bank of America Stadium.
The Carolina Panthers had control of the game from the start but missed tackles and blown assignments doomed the team down the stretch and they lost the game 27-21 in a not-so Hollywood story.
A lot went wrong for this team but nothing was more surprising than the nightmare that was the pass defense. Donte Jackson was exposed multiple times in an uncharacteristic performance and A.J. Bouye seemed to be a step behind on multiple throws across the middle.
The run defense was once again on vacation in this one as the Washington Football Team was able to pile on 190 yards on the ground and it looked much worse than that on tape. Defenders couldn’t shed blocks and gaps were routinely left wide open. This is something that needs to be fixed fast.
On offense, however, things seemed to finally start clicking for the Panthers in what was an odd flip of the script when put beside the rest of the season.
Cam Newton looked sharp and there was evidence of early chemistry between the former MVP and running back Christian McCaffrey. Especially on an incredible throw and catch for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Another bright spot was that Robby Anderson seemed to finally expel his demons and has begun to produce, Tommy Tremble had two big-time catches, and Ian Thomas was active in terms of blocking.
All of these are positive signs that the team is trending in the right direction on offense. We can only hope that this change in direction isn’t too late as there is not a whole lot of time left to make up ground in the wild card race.
The Panthers are officially in “must-win” mode and they must take care of business when they visit the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins have been an oddity this season as the team tends to flip flop from week to week and the defense was surprisingly poor for most of the season. However, that has changed of late and they are a dangerous opponent for any team looking for an easy win.
This has all the makings of a season-defining game for the Panthers and there are plenty of matchups to watch, but which are most important?