Keys to the Game: Panthers at Bengals
The Carolina Panthers are looking to respond after a crushing divisional loss at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers responded well after their last loss, and they'll need to bounce back quickly as they play the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday. Here are the Panthers' keys to the game.
Get DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall involved early and often
The Cincinnati Bengals are a talented football team, but their secondary can be exploited. Starting corner Chidobe Awuzie tore his ACL against the Browns last week, and Cleveland took advantage of a porous Bengals secondary.
Amari Cooper tallied 131 receiving yards, his most of the season, and Donovan Peoples-Jones totaled 81, also his most of the season. The Bengals offense has firepower, and the Panthers will need a repeat of their offensive performance last week to compete in this game.
Both DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall had their best games of the season last week and they'll need to do that again. Marshall has revived a career that was on life alert since Matt Rhule was fired and he's beginning to prove that the second round pick that was spent on him was worth it.
Get to Joe Burrow
Joe Burrow was sacked seven times in the Super Bowl and the Bengals had seen enough. They remade their offensive line this spring in the hopes of protecting their franchise quarterback.
Their hopes haven't come to fruition quite yet.
Burrow has been sacked an average of 3.8 times per game, the second most in the league. On Monday night, Cleveland got to Burrow five times.
The Bengals offensive line is beatable, but it may be a moveable object meeting a stoppable force. The Panthers' pass rush ranks 20th in the league in ESPN's pass rush win rate stat, and the tape backs that up. Yetur Gross-Matos has failed to make an impact. Marquis Haynes and Henry Anderson haven't made an impact either.
Brian Burns is an All-Pro type talent, but he needs some help. If that help doesn't come, Burns will need to take over and dominate an inferior opponent. Carolina turned down an offer of two first-round picks for Burns this week, and he has a prime opportunity to show everyone why he deserved an offer like that.
Limit the Big Plays
The Falcons completed six passes on Sunday that went for over 15 yards, and those were all back-breaking plays for the Panthers' defense.
The Bengals rank eighth in the league in explosive passing plays.
Although they're missing superstar Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and even Joe Mixon are all liable to bust a big play in the passing game on any given down.
Carolina needs to clean up some of the problems they have shown in the secondary. Donte' Jackson and CJ Henderson are talented players, but they both have lapses in play that opponents have repeatedly taken advantage of.
Joe Burrow isn't known for his athleticism, but he's elite at moving the pocket and extending plays. Those extended plays could lead to explosive gains that would be detrimental to the Panthers' chances on Sunday.
