Carolina Panthers Keys to Victory vs Chiefs: Offense
The Carolina Panthers head to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in this Week 9 matchup. The Panthers are coming off of three straight losses but have had nine full days to prepare for the reigning champs. The Chiefs enter the matchup 7-1 and look to be as complete of a team as they were last season. Maybe even a little bit better. Not many experts are giving Carolina a chance in this game which is displayed in the double-digit underdog spread. If the Panthers pull off the upset they are going to have to play a near-flawless game on both sides of the ball.
Here are our three keys to the game for the Panthers' offense:
Stick with the running game
This game could very easily start with the Chiefs taking a 10-14 point lead before the Panthers establish a scoring drive. Kansas City can score quickly. Even if Carolina gets behind early they must be willing to stick with the rushing attack. All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey is likely back after missing the last six games with an ankle injury. He and backup Mike Davis are assumed to make up quite the duo so the Panthers need to keep feeding the two backs. Sticking with the run will do two things. One, it will help the offense stay ahead of the chains and alleviate some of the pressure off of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Two, it will run the clock and keep the ball away from the Chiefs' high-powered offense. Both are major keys to pull off the upset.
Take some deep shots
The one team that took down the Chiefs this year was the Las Vegas Raiders back in Week 5. The Raiders are actually built very similar to how the Panthers are built so there is some hope for the heavy underdogs. A big reason why the Raiders were able to upset the Chiefs was because they took and connected on some deep throws down the field. Quarterback Derek Carr hit two huge deep touchdowns against the Kansas City defense. One 59-yard pass and another 72-yard bomb. Throwing deep is not something that Teddy likes to do too often. He is going to have to step out of his comfort zone if he wants to keep up with Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Protect the football
There is little to no room for mistakes in this game for the Panthers. Bridgewater has thrown three interceptions during the team's three-game losing streak. He must do a better job of making smart decisions in this game. This really starts with the offensive line. When Bridgewater has time to throw he has proven that he can be a very efficient quarterback. When he is under pressure he struggles. Protecting the football starts with protecting the passer. Carolina has an uphill battle in knocking off the Champs that could turn into an insurmountable task if they turn the football over.
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