Carolina Panthers pass rush must make Caleb Williams uncomfortable in Week 5

Carolina Panthers fans will always remember this matchup against the Chicago Bears as the "trade game" for as long as the players involved remain with their respective teams.

The Panthers made the move that they thought would propel them into the future when the front office sent away its best offensive player and a bevy of picks to move up and take the now-benched Bryce Young. They then proceeded to turn that traded pick into the No. 1 overall selection that the Bears used to draft Caleb Williams.

Neither player has been able to show their potential just yet, but there is much more leeway with Williams at this point than Young. Not to mention that the Bears quarterback has the same number of wins at this point.

With every highlight reel throw or scramble for a first down, the evidence becomes more clear that the Panthers made a mistake in going for Young instead of waiting one more year for a different crop of players to become available. However, there is one thing that has proven to be an early weakness for Williams.

Pressure.

Carolina Panthers must step up their pass-rush in Week 5

Now pressure on any quarterback is a negative on their abilities, but this is even more a factor on young players. Especially rookies who haven't had to deal with this level of skill and speed across the board. Add to this the fact that Williams is the second-most sacked quarterback in the league this season, and you begin to see why the rookie has more interceptions than touchdowns in 2024.

High-profile rookie quarterbacks routinely try to do too much when they first get into the league. A highlight throw in college can very easily become an interception in the NFL. This is a lesson that is most often learned the hard way. Put those two factors together and you get the recipe for how to make Williams' life uncomfortable in Week 5.

Humans will always revert to their instincts when put into a stressful situation, like having an NFL-caliber defensive lineman running after you. With a player like Williams, those instincts will scream to run around in the backfield and try to make something out of nothing. This is an admirable trait, but one that can go badly very quickly.

Not everyone can be a Josh Allen.

What the Panthers have to do is panic Williams early and often by finding a pass rush. This is easier said than done for a team that ranks second to last in sacks this season, and one of those came from a player no longer with the organization.

This team has to figure out who can contribute at edge rusher opposite Jadeveon Clowney if they want any hope of generating a meaningful edge threat. The Panthers cannot wait around for players to come off of injured reserve anymore.

Somebody has to step up and generate some pressure or Williams is going to thrive. There is only so much even an experienced player like Clowney can do by themself.

This game, while largely devoid of any playoff implications, has all the meaning in the world to this organization to try and prove that it made the right decision in going for Young instead. It is also a golden opportunity for the struggling defense to make a name for themselves against a vulnerable team.

Williams is vulnerable when under pressure and makes mistakes when forced to improvise. This is just the kind of opening this team needs to win and they have to exploit it.

Whether or not any of these players are capable of stepping up or not is the big question.

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