3 pivotal matchups that will decide Carolina Panthers game vs. Vikings in Week 4

Carolina Panthers WR Terrace Marshall Jr. vs. Vikings DBs

The Minnesota Vikings were exposed at cornerback just as much as Justin Jefferson victimized the Los Angeles Chargers in their Week 3 loss. But it will be a tall task for the Carolina Panthers to try and capitalize on this.

Rookie Jonathan Mingo was finally starting to show some of the skills that warranted the pick spent on the physically imposing receiver, albeit with a few ill-timed drops until he went down with a concussion. This leaves the Panthers with Terrace Marshall Jr. to step in and fill that void.

Marshall has never had more than 87 receiving yards in any single game and has been less than explosive in gaining them. But there is always room for a breakout performance and the Panthers can only hope for one this week.

The previous second-round experiment at wide receiver by the Panthers will have to have a career game to make a difference for the team in this game. The Vikings' best cover man will likely be on Adam Theilen and the best speed presence will be on D.J. Chark. This leaves a gap in the defense ripe to be exploited.

With the short routes taken up by Thielen and the deep ball by Chark, there is a spot in the intermediate for Marshall to thrive. The only thing the young receiver needs to do is get just a little bit of separation for Andy Dalton or Bryce Young to fit the ball into.

The opportunities will be there, especially since the Vikings will more than likely be sleeping on the Panthers' offense as a whole. They just need to be taken advantage of.