4 sneaky threats the Panthers must respect vs. Saints in Week 3

Carolina Panthers must not take Alvin Kamara lightly

Alvin Kamara is expected to suit up despite dealing with a rib injury. Simply put, the Carolina Panthers should not take the running back lightly even if he is unlikely to be at 100 percent.

The former Tennessee star will be an extremely tough test once again for the Panthers’ run defense. Kamara is one of the premier running backs in the league, he can run between the tackles and be a mismatch in the passing game much like Christian McCaffrey is for Carolina.

Kamara has similar traits to McCaffrey but is extremely tough to tackle in the open field. His vision to burst through gaps and make something out of nothing is something special to possess and something the New Orleans Saints will likely lean on heavily depending on how healthy he is.

The Panthers must be very detailed in their gap integrity. Kamara can exploit even the smallest holes, so discipline is going to be a core element of how Phil Snow’s unit performs on defense.

Carolina stepped up against Saquon Barkley until late on during their loss at the New York Giants.  The Panthers must put Jeremy Chinn or Jaycee Horn on Kamara when he lines up in the slot to have a chance at covering him on his deadly angle/choice routes.

Snow and the defensive staff must have another great game plan for Kamara if he plays to make Jameis Winston beat them in the air. And in fairness to the Panthers, they did keep him in check last season to the tune of 37 rushing yards in two games.