4 crucial matchups the Panthers must win vs. Buccaneers in Week 16

Pat Elflein vs. Ndamukong Suh

Signing Pat Elflein was one of the two most questionable decisions made by the Carolina Panthers in the offseason. But even with his subpar performance at guard, he’s looked a lot better moving to center after the season-ending injury to Matt Paradis.

That said, it’s not exactly been a revelation with Elflein at center. The same struggles are still present along the offensive line and there is no real path to improving it at this juncture.

Those woes look to continue against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with how stout their defensive line can be when firing on all cylinders. Especially with a monster like Ndamukong Suh leading that interior push.

Suh was one of the best interior linemen in the NFL during his tenure with the Detroit Lions, going to the Pro Bowl and becoming a first-team All-Pro in his rookie year. But a truly heartbreaking injury stunted his career somewhat after he moved to the Miami Dolphins.

However, that doesn’t mean the mountain of a man doesn’t have anything left in the tank.

Suh is a player that has all the motivation in the world for a strong performance against the Carolina Panthers as the Buccaneers were shut out against the New Orleans Saints in more ways than just points. The team managed zero sacks against a questionable offensive line and that could be one of the reasons for that loss.

Even with the injuries that the Saints have sustained, this Panthers line is still nowhere near that quality and that means two things. Cam Newton could be running for his life from the first snap and Suh’s mouth has got to be salivating at the thought of going against Elflein on the inside.

Elflein is going to have to tap into the potential he showed during his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings and surpass that if the Panthers want to keep Newton off the ground. That may be too much to ask, but it’s something that has to happen.

This could be a long day.