4 big Carolina Panthers storylines to watch vs. the Saints in Week 3
By Dean Jones
Will Carolina Panthers finally click on offense?
One of the biggest criticisms throughout a turbulent week has been the lack of invention and production on offense. The Carolina Panthers look vanilla and unable to counteract anything opposing defenses are doing during games, which puts offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo under the microscope in no uncertain terms.
It’s been a while since McAdoo held a prominent play-calling position. The game has changed a lot during that time and having such a predictable scheme with bland route concepts is holding the Panthers back right now.
Whether McAdoo has something else up his sleeve is anyone’s guess. There will be pressure to alter certain elements against a supremely gifted New Orleans Saints defense, but shifting things too much at this juncture has the scope to decrease familiarity between Baker Mayfield and his primary pass-catchers even further.
Mayfield has flashed real growth over the opening fortnight. But putting this together for a full game remains the biggest obstacle and if this cannot be achieved in Week 3, then the Saints have enough in their defensive arsenal on all three levels to take advantage.
Nobody knows more about what’s at stake than Mayfield. Perhaps the added urgency that comes with divisional games can be the key that sparks Carolina’s offense to finally click for prolonged periods.