Carolina Panthers
Three to Focus on: Panthers @ Texans, Week 15
With the Panthers already eliminated from the playoffs and the Texans secure as AFC South champs, there’ll be no matching desperation for the win from opposing sidelines.
Each team, however, has its motivation–Houston is looking to continue a seven-game win streak and is squarely in the hunt for a first-round bye, while Carolina is looking to prove to themselves that they can take the next step beyond just competing and begin to win with regularity.
2011 has proven to be a landmark year for each franchise (the start of a resurrection for Carolina and a long-awaited breakthrough for the Texans) and it’s fitting, perhaps, that a pair of rookie quarterbacks are now playing huge roles. Change brings with it a clean slate, an opportunity to believe again, and both of these teams clearly believe they are on the right track. So, as they take the field on Sunday, these two organizations that are headed in the right direction will each seek the victory … a victory that represents a piece of the foundation for one and an immediate reward for the other.
To that end, here are three key matchups that will help determine which walks away the winner.
Re-Focused: Falcons @ Panthers, Week 14
Here it is, a classic game of two quarterbacks; both getting decent if not great protection, both getting great help from one of their wide receivers, but one looking as though the broadside of a barn may not be big enough.
That’s Cam Newton in a nutshell. We’ll go into it more detail later but in one game he’ll throw the ball with great accuracy and the next, balls will sail further than the Cutty Sark.
As you might expect Matt Ryan (+3.0) has had a far more consistent season and, if he wasn’t exactly great in this game, he was very good and composed enough to put a mediocre second quarter to the back of his mind and bring his team back.
While the Panthers try to build on positive strides (if not great results) over the next three games and understand how to best attack the offseason, the Falcons are still favorites to win a Wild Card berth, but they’ll need to improve in many areas to get beyond their first opponents, never mind Green Bay.
Three to Focus on: Falcons @ Panthers, Week 14
The final month of the Carolina Panthers 2011 season will feature Cam Newton coming up against his divisional opponents for the second time this season. As we will get to see with another recent Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow, what will defenses do differently and possibly more effectively to try to take away Newton’s efficiency as a runner and a passer?
His first “re-test” against the Atlanta Falcons this week provides an interesting first case study as it puts Newton back in against a defense he struggled with in his first game against them this season. Newton threw three interceptions in a two touchdown loss in Atlanta earlier this season and was only a threat running on scrambles, his only designed run went for just 4 yards. Can Newton rise to the occasion and prove that he can beat the Falcons defense or will the Atlanta secondary prove that the last game was no fluke and that they have Newton’s number? Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Panthers @ Buccaneers, Week 13
In a game with no real postseason implications, the Carolina Panthers built an early 14-point lead and never looked threatened from that point on, eventually doubling up on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-19. With Bucs starting quarterback Josh Freeman out injured, the Panthers were widely expected to win this one despite being the road team. However, it was mainly Tampa’s defensive struggles that cost them this one.
A win would have kept Tampa within two games of the last wild card spot with four to play but, realistically, both teams were already looking ahead to next year. With both teams now 4-8, Sunday’s game would suggest that Tampa has further to go to get back to being a good team.
Let’s look at some of the individual performances to see if we can identify anyone that is going to make an impact for either of these teams next year.
Three to Focus On: Panthers @ Buccaneers, Week 13
It’s not often two division rivals first see each other in Week 13, but that’s what we have as the Carolina Panthers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week.
Built similarly, these teams feature promising young quarterbacks but underwhelming defenses. The Panthers were expected to struggle while breaking in rookie QB Cam Newton, and even though he has exceeded first-year expectations, the Panthers have limped to a 3-8 record.
Tampa Bay, on the other hand, had high hopes after Josh Freeman’s breakout season and an influx of youth to the defensive line, but the year has not gone as planned. Freeman has seemingly regressed, particularly since Week 3, and the defense has been terrible. Instead of competing for a playoff spot, the Bucs find themselves trying to avoid the cellar in the NFC South. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Panthers @ Colts, Week 12
The Colts started this game like they have most of their others; badly. Their offense couldn’t move the ball and their defense couldn’t get off the field. Much to my surprise, they ended up putting up a pretty good fight – only being denied a chance to tie the game by a cruel interception in the endzone off a deflection that still required a brilliant catch from Panthers safety Sherrod Martin. Still, a loss is a loss and that’s now 11 of them for the Colts. The remaining five games will not only dictate whether they make history for all the wrong reasons, but could also go a long way to convincing a certain college quarterback that staying with the team that picks him won’t be so bad after all.
For the Panthers, their offense continues to grow and now has weapons aplenty, something we couldn’t say a year ago. The group that includes Steve Smith, Greg Olsen, Jeremy Shockey and even Brandon Lafell is clamoring for more national attention which it will almost certainly receive in the very near future. There’s still a long way to go on the defensive side, but injuries have decimated the unit and its still probably better than it was in 2010. Read the rest of this entry »
Three to Focus on: Panthers @ Colts, Week 12
With every snap of the ball the Indianapolis Colts look more and more likely to go 0-16 this year. A quick glance at our cumulative rankings would leave Colts fans seeing red, literally. On offense, only center Jeff Saturday (+11.3) has a grade above +1.8 and, on defense, even the normally stellar defensive end duo of Dwight Freeney (+5.0) and Robert Mathis (+4.9) have had their struggles.
It’s a very different kind of frustration in Carolina where the Panthers were never expected to do much this year, but the impressive start to Cam Newton’s NFL career has kept them in some game you wouldn’t have expected them to be in. But therein lies the frustration, they are merely staying in these games, not winning them. Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Focused: Panthers @ Lions, Week 11
If you were asked to draw up a prototypical game between these two teams, based on this season, you would probably come up with something very similar to this encounter. The Carolina Panthers, punching above their weight with an impressive offensive display but ultimately falling short. The Detroit Lions, stumbling around at times, showing their weaknesses, but ultimately finding a way to get the win.
Once again the Panthers offense had a big game but after half time were only able to score once, as the Lions overturned a 17-point deficit to eventually pick up a 14-point victory. The Panthers’ vulnerability in run defense was exposed as Kevin Smith turned in the starring role, a role usually reserved for Calvin Johnson. Smith’s first 100 yard game since Week 3 of the 2009 season proved decisive in a Lions win, which sends them into the short Thanksgiving week on a high.
Three to Focus on: Lions @ Panthers, Week 11
Suddenly, the Detroit Lions don’t look like the locks for the playoffs many thought they were five weeks into the season. Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears resembled the Lions of the mid 2000’s worst and it also highlighted just how average their offense looks when you can limit Calvin Johnson to just seven catches on 18 targets.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers have hit the stage of the season where they get to play the role of the spoiler. That, coupled with the expectation of something impressive every time Cam Newton drops back to pass, keeps the Panthers relevant down the stretch.
This week we will get to see just what both teams have left in the tank. Already three games back of the Green Bay Packers, the division could be out of reach by Thanksgiving if the Lions aren’t careful. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the three areas to focus on in this one.
Re-Focused – Titans @ Panthers, Week 10
If like me you’ve been sleeping on the Tennessee Titans this season, it’s time to wake up. Are they a dominant team? No, but then really who has been in the AFC this season? And just when you thought the Texans might have enough to run away with the division, Matt Schaub goes down.
On Sunday, the Titans showed me that they have what it takes to mount an attack on the AFC South. Solid quarterback play, good defense and, provided Chris Johnson can use this game as a springboard, a good running game. Their performance in this 30-3 win on the road in Carolina easily the best I’ve seen them since their home win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Despite the loss, the Panthers will continue to be intriguing to watch for the remainder of the season, such is the excitement Cam Newton brings to the field. But Newton’s play has definitely dropped-off since the beginning of the season and he is still struggling to pick up wins. His drop in play has also highlighted some other key problems for Carolina that were easy to overlook when the first overall pick of the draft was making play after play. So with that in mind, let’s look at the key performances from both teams.
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