4 major threats the Carolina Panthers must silence in Week 9 at Bengals
By Noah Bryce
Carolina Panthers must silence La’el Collins
Right Tackle may not be a position known for taking over games or being the pivotal piece. But Carolina Panthers fans would argue that particular point and the sometimes forgotten position will loom large in this Week 9 matchup.
The Cincinnati Bengals were terrible at protecting Joe Burrow last season. This is not breaking news, so the team set about fixing this problem and one of their marquee signings was La’el Collins.
Collins was solid, albeit not spectacular, for the Dallas Cowboys until injuries forced the team to look elsewhere and a reduced role saw the offensive lineman leave in free agency. Seeing an opportunity to shore up their line, the Bengals jumped on this quickly.
Early results have not been what the Bengals expected, to put it mildly. Burrow’s protection is not improving in relation to the amount spent.
On top of this Collins is nursing an injury that will either keep him out of Week 9 or be playing injured. Either of these options is an opportunity that the Panthers cannot pass up.
The pass rush has not been the Panthers’ strong suit this season outside of the usual superstar performance of Brian Burns. But this is a chance for that to change.