Carolina Panthers Keys to Victory vs Arizona Cardinals
The Carolina Panthers enter week four coming off of a huge win on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers. The young defensive unit played to its full potential and rattled rookie quarterback Justin Herbert limiting the Chargers offense to just 16 points. Teddy Bridgewater and the offense did enough on offense to solidify the victory. The week three win brought the Panthers up to third place in the NFC South.
On the other hand, the Arizona Cardinals were upset by the Detroit Lions at home in week three. Despite the surprising three-point loss, the Cardinals are much improved from the team that they were a season ago. They currently sit at second place in the very competitive NFC West division.
The Panthers must build on the momentum that they established last week if they hope to have a chance at securing their first home win of the season. While the Cardinals are an upgraded team overall, they still have some weaknesses that Carolina can exploit in a few key matchups.
Keep Kyler Murray in the pocket
While this might sound counterintuitive, it is the most effective way to defend the Cardinal's dual-threat quarterback. Murray leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards this season with 187 yards on the ground through three games. That's more than last year's versatile MVP Lamar Jackson has this season.
Murray always seems to scramble at a crucial point in the game. He can extend plays and make teams pay for not accounting for him on third downs or red zone situations. The Carolina defense must be aware of his running ability on every play. The Panthers have the athletic talent to limit Murray but they have to stay disciplined. Expect defensive coordinator Phil Snow to use a combination of linebacker Shaq Thompson and rookie Jeremy Chinn to spy on Murray and not let him escape the pocket for big gains on the ground.
Explosive plays
Wide receiver D.J. Moore has gotten off to somewhat of a slow start compared to what we became accustomed to last season. He has a great chance to break out against an average Arizona defense.
The Panthers are going to need to put up a lot of points in this game to keep up with the Cardinals. They will need another big game from leading receiver Robby Anderson as well as Moore and running back Mike Davis to help take the pressure off of Bridgewater.
Play clean football
Carolina cannot turn the football over or commit any unnecessary penalties in what is expected to be a very close game. Turnovers and penalties can make a huge difference in the outcome of these matchups between even teams.
If the Panthers can keep Kyler Murray in the pocket, have their playmakers show up and play a clean game, then they should have an excellent chance at winning the Week 4 matchup and evening their record to 2-2.
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