How the Panthers Can Beat the Saints in Week 2

What will it take for the Carolina Panthers to win the home opener against the New Orleans Saints? Glad you asked. Here are your three keys to the game.

Squeaky clean offense

Even at home, the Panthers can't afford to give the Saints extra possessions. I know what you're thinking. The Saints forced three turnovers last week, yet managed to score only 16 points for the game. That's not going to be the case every week for an offense that talented. This is a stingy defense that has a lot of veterans in the secondary who may look to try and bait Young into some bad decisions with the ball, similar to what Jessie Bates III did a week ago.

Run, run, run the ball

There's nothing an offensive lineman likes more than to run the ball over and over and over again. He gets to impose his will on the man lined up across from him and create running lanes for the backs. It's also a terrific way for that unit to gain some confidence while not putting the ball in harm's way of a dangerous secondary. With Cade Mays being inserted into the starting lineup this week, I believe it's pivotal that Frank Reich hammers the ground game hard early to set the tone and eliminate those early game jitters from Mays.

Steal the Titans' blueprint (to an extent)

Tennessee loaded up to stop the run, holding New Orleans to just 2.6 yards per carry on 27 rushing attempts. Ejiro Evero's front seven struggled at times against the run last week in Atlanta, so this could ultimately be one of the deciding factors in the game. Carolina isn't going to win this game if the Saints are popping off five yards a run.

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