Struggling Panthers face defending champions
The Carolina Panthers just don’t seem to have any spark. What has worked so well for them in the past is not working any more, and they don’t seem to have an answer to their problems. Their running game is stagnant and their quarterbacks lack the weapons
and experience necessary to carry the team.
The New Orleans Saints have no quarterback issue, but they do have their own unanswered questions coming off a home loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week. The Saints missed a 29-yard field goal in overtime before watching Atlanta drive down the field and
kick the game winner.
The Panthers’ priority should be to get their running game going. It is their best chance of having an effective offence with Jimmy Clausen making just his second NFL start. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart have to get going and they’ll need some help
from their offensive line. The Falcons proved last week that you could run the ball against the Saints as they accumulated 202 yards on the ground.
Don’t expect too much out of the Panthers’ passing game. Clausen’s most dangerous target Steve Smith will be blanketed by the Saints’ secondary. Clausen’s job will be hard and it should prove to be too much pressure for a young quarterback. Clausen will
also have to worry about the Saints’ pass rush featuring Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith.
As for the Saints, they have to get their offence going. While their offence has still been good, they’ve played nowhere near the level they were at last year. Drives are stalling and they have not truly found their groove. It doesn’t help that their speedy
Reggie Bush is out with a broken fibula but Drew Brees and company are certainly better than what they’ve shown. They’ll look for a big coming out party against an inexperienced Panthers’ secondary.
Brees will look for Marques Colston and Lance Moore often. The Saints will also try to get a running game going with Pierre Thomas. That will help open things up for the vaunted passing game. The Saints have averaged 273 yards passing so far, but only 21
points. That is still miles better than Carolina though, who have averaged 260 yards in total and just 10 points per game.
The Saints need this game because on paper, it is a game they should win and they can’t take the Panthers lightly. While they have much more talent, this is still a divisional game and those are always tough. These two teams split their meetings last year
and their games are always close.
The defending champions cannot afford to lose two straight at home to divisional rivals. After losing at home to the Falcons last week, the Saints are tied at 2-1 with Atlanta and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Atlanta hosting a struggling San Francisco
team this week; a loss by the Saints opens the door for the Falcons to take the division lead.
As for the Panthers, they just need to win a game. As bad as they’ve looked in their first three games, a win over the defending champions in their own building would give the Panthers new-found confidence. That’s always dangerous with teams short on talent
because confidence can make a team think they’re better than they actually are. Confidence translates into solid performances and makes teams hungrier, so don’t count out the young Panthers just yet. With the big upset they would bring their season back to
life.
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