The Carolina Panthers have a must-win game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 12 if the team wants to keep any hope at the playoffs alive.
Well, that storybook return to Bank of America Stadium didn’t quite end the way that Carolina Panthers fans wanted it to.
Things started well for the Panthers with a near-perfect opening drive by the offense that ended in a touchdown pass on a quick decision by Cam Newton. A designed run was called, but the quarterback noticed D.J. Moore had separation in the end-zone and decided to throw it to him instead.
Then the Washington Football Team got the ball and things began to go downhill for the Panthers.
Between blown coverages and wide-open running lanes, Washington torched the defense on a regular basis. If not for a poorly timed fumble they would have put the game away a lot sooner.
Playing from behind, or even in a closely fought contest is no easy task. It was one that proved to be too much for Newton as the former MVP only had 10 days to learn an entire system.
But the real reason behind this loss was the defense. It just looked bad and outplayed for the entire game. Something this team, or the fanbase for that matter, is not used to.
The defense has always been the strength, the one thing keeping the team afloat, and it let everyone down on Sunday. That cannot happen at the Miami Dolphins in Week 11.
While the Dolphins have been a bit of a laughing stock all season, they have righted the ship in recent weeks and are beginning to look like the team many expected them to be. Especially on the defensive side of things with Tua Tagovailoa doing just enough to keep the team in the game on offense.
Yes, beating the New York Jets is not exactly prize-worthy. But the Dolphins still looked really good during large portions of that game, and once a team starts doing well it’s hard to shut them down.
The Panthers are in a close race for a wild card in the NFC and this is a game that they have to win to keep pace. What will be key to that much-needed victory?
Carolina Panthers have the Cam Newton/Christian McCaffrey connection
Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey may not have had much time together during the quarterback’s first stint with the Carolina Panthers, but that didn’t seem to hamper the duo much on Sunday. Especially when you take a look at the 27-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that tied the game.
McCaffrey is now the top dog for the Panthers’ offense and Newton can see that. But this doesn’t mean that the signal-caller isn’t going to take the game into his own hands at points either.
Any worry of that clashing on the field was dispelled with how well the duo played together on Sunday and how unselfish they both were. Even using each other as decoys on multiple plays.
That connection will be absolutely key going forward as having chemistry between your stars is essential in the NFL. Especially between a quarterback and a star target, no matter their position.
The importance of being able to throw in the direction of a receiver no matter the situation or coverage and trust that they will make a play is something that cannot be overstated. Newton and McCaffrey must build that connection, that trust so that they both can perform to the greatest extent of their abilities
Feed off each other’s energy. If for no other reason than the fact the All-Pro running back will be on the field almost as much as the former MVP.
This extends even further beyond a basic understanding of the other player, Newton needs to know exactly what McCaffrey is thinking in every situation so that the quarterback can anticipate when and where to throw the ball. We saw a hiccup in this on a third-down play on Sunday where the ball was just barely out of the running back’s reach.
With Newton’s superstar throws paired with McCaffrey’s surefire hands and incredible strength and agility, defenses should be terrified of them building chemistry.
If Newton and McCaffrey can get on the same page it will be an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses. Even when they do everything right it may not be enough.
Carolina Panthers must capitalize on a feast or famine Tua Tagovailoa
Tua Tagovailoa has had an up and down career since injuring his hip during his final season at Alabama. The injury bug hasn’t been entirely shaken at the NFL level.
That aside, the quarterback has also been a bit up and down when actually on the field as well. Tagovailoa will make a truly spectacular throw on the run and follow it up with one of the worst interceptions you have ever seen.
That inconsistency is something the Carolina Panthers can take advantage of.
For every wide-open touchdown thrown under duress, there is a terrible overthrow of Jaylen Waddle that results in a pick like the one on Sunday. There have been plenty of quarterbacks that have made this work in the past, names like Brett Farve come to mind. But no one is saying that Tagovailoa is the next great gunslinger, even if the young signal-caller has a similar playstyle.
Do you know what relishes the idea of going against a gunslinger?
An opportunistic defense and a certain old nickname come to mind.
While the thieves’ avenue days may be long gone, this Panthers defense loves to take the ball away on poor throws and has shown the ability to make that happen in recent weeks, even with a bit of a disappointing performance on Sunday. Translating that into Week 12 will go a long way toward securing a victory.
This Miami Dolphins team is in no way built to come from behind and win games, the offense simply isn’t explosive enough. Especially with the majority of their starting receivers on the reserve/injured list.
If the Panthers can get a turnover early and convert it to points it will put even more pressure on Tagovailoa to win the game with his arm, in turn giving the opportunity for more turnovers.
It’s not a matter of if, but of when the young quarterback will make a turnover-worthy throw. Whenever that happens the Panthers have to be ready to make a game-changing play.
Carolina Panthers must win 1-on-1 battles
The Miami Dolphins like to blitz, a lot, and they also play a ton of man coverage. This requires a lot of faith in a secondary’s ability that has typically been rewarded, but one wrong move and that can all change.
A scheme like this can be very effective against certain teams, especially ones that rely on big-bodied receivers to win those types of matchups. However, its biggest weakness is a team built around speed and agility with just enough size to win a contested catch.
A team like the Carolina Panthers.
While there may not be a lot of size at receiver for the team, their ability to get open against just about anyone is something that should come into its own on Sunday.
The Dolphins are going to leave their cornerbacks on an island at some point in this contest and when that happens D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson will have to play up to their billing and shake off that coverage with some sort of clever move.
With the speed that they undeniably have, it will be so long once they get behind their defender.
Don’t get me wrong, this Dolphins secondary is solid, and it’s not going to be easy to beat them. However, on paper, this Panthers receiving corps is one of the best in the league and has the abilities needed to shed their coverage.
Winning those 1-on-1 matchups – and winning them quickly – is something that will be necessary if the Panthers want to move the ball against the type of pressure that will be coming their way. If Carolina’s receivers can’t shake their man it will be a very long day for Cam Newton as he desperately looks for an open target.
Carolina Panthers must stop the run
This topic has become a bit repetitive recently.
The Carolina Panthers gave up more than 190 yards on the ground to the Washington Football Team on Sunday and that was with their starter benched the majority of the game after a red-zone fumble.
That doesn’t win games.
The Buffalo Bills learned that well enough in their mauling by the Indianapolis Colts where Jonathan Taylor ran for 185 yards – 79 more than Carson Wentz threw for – and scored five times.
Even in an era where the passing game is the main focus of every team in the league by a large margin, winning the ground game is still essential. Having an effecting rushing attack frees up the pass if nothing else and a dominant one can actively win a game as most teams are not built or coached to stop them anymore.
Not a whole lot went well for the Panthers on defense against Washington. But stopping the run is the only thing that has become a trend – the rest could very well be a blip on the radar.
The first of the two big issues here is the fact that Carolina has been unable to get off a block. In fact, there was one play on Sunday where Jermaine Carter and Shaq Thompson ran into them in perfect unison and did nothing to affect the play from then on.
The other is a complete lack of any kind of gap discipline. Leaving running lanes wide open in favor of penetration is just asking for a big gain either by the running back or even the most immobile of quarterbacks.
Even if the Miami Dolphins aren’t known as a running football team, this level of play can make any back look good and it has on many occasions this season. Phil Snow needs to drill gap discipline and block shedding into his defenders this week or it will be another long day for the Panthers.