4 big threats the Panthers must take seriously in Week 4 vs. Cardinals

Carolina Panthers must not forget about James Conner

The Carolina Panthers know what task they have against Kyler Murray in both the run and passing game. But the coaching staff must make sure keeping Arizona Cardinals’ offense one-dimensional is their biggest priority heading into the encounter.

James Conner isn’t at the level of the past three running backs the Panthers have faced. However, that does not detract from what an influential figure he can become if early momentum is generated.

This comes from the right allocation of carries and sufficient blocking. Once Conner gets this, then his physicality can wear a defensive line down throughout any game.

With all the attention going to preventing Murray from doing what he does best, Arizona’s head coach Kliff Kingsbury will try and reopen the wounds that the Cleveland Browns left on Carolina when it came to running the football in Week 1.

In the past two meetings with the Panthers, the passing game hasn’t been effective. So one would expect a different game plan coming to attack some of Carolina’s inconsistencies

Phil Snow and the Panthers’ defense must be prepared for a lot of carries from Conner whilst remembering that this is predominantly an Air Raid offense that runs through Murray. A tough ask in no uncertain terms.