One thing San Francisco 49ers must do to beat Carolina Panthers

This won't be easy.

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The San Francisco 49ers have a big game against the Carolina Panthers that will swing the playoff odds in a big way, depending on who wins. San Francisco is favored, mostly because the Panthers' passing game is limited. If the 49ers want to win, they essentially just have to shut down one player. 

San Francisco 49ers must lock in on Tet McMillan 

Rookie wide receiver Tet McMillan is the Panthers' passing offense. They are nearly useless in that area without him. McMillan has 54 catches on 89 targets for 748 yards. When you look at the Panthers' second through fifth highest producing pass catchers, they have 90 catches on 121 targets for 815 yards. He is essentially as productive as the next four most productive players. 

Bryce Young averages 8.7 yards per attempt when he throws the ball to McMillan and 6.7 yards per attempt to the next four best pass catchers. His yards per catch is 13.9, while the other four are at 9.1. 

It is easier said than done, though. McMillan averages 1.99 yards per route run, which is an excellent mark for a veteran, let alone a rookie. Xavier Leggette averages 0.98 yards per route, Rico Dowdle is at 1.19, Tommy Tremble is at 1.03, and Ja’Tavion Sanders is at 1.09. Essentially, every player the Panthers could possibly run a route with has been half as productive on per route basis. 

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The 49ers have not had a lot of matchups against clear-cut number one receivers. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominated in Week 1, but the rest of the unit was too weak to beat San Francisco. Chris Olave, Drake London, Marvin Harrison, and Brian Thomas were all held in check, but quarterback play and the play of Thomas could be called out in those performances. 

Puka Nacua and Davante Adams had big games in both of their matchups against San Francisco, but that is a different offense to face entirely. Emeka Egbuka, Malik Nabers, and Nico Collins were hurt in their matchups, so the 49ers did not get that kind of test. 

Overall, you could say that they have done a good job at keeping the top pass option in check when there is no clear second threat. Even in the case of Smith-Njigba, they won. The 49ers could let McMillan get his, knowing he cannot win a game on his own, or they could go all-in on shutting him out, daring a secondary option to step up. It will be interesting to see if McMillan can keep the Panthers in the game.