Players to Watch: Panthers at Rams
At first glance, a 1-4 Panthers team playing the defending Super Bowl champions the same week they fire their head coach is a recipe for disaster. Compounded by the fact that 3rd-string quarterback PJ Walker is starting due to injuries to Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, and Jeremy Chinn, Jaycee Horn, Laviska Shenault are all out for this weekend with the potential to be joined by more names, that recipe appears to be kicked up to eleven. Despite this, there is still a great reason to watch this weekend's matchup.
Interim head coach Steve Wilks and his team will be looking to turn a new leaf. New players will be asked to step up, whether due to injury or a desire from the team to see what the player has in him. Roles will be expanded or changed, play calling and schemes will have new looks to them, and the team can safely play without the weight of a lame-duck coach at the helm. The Panthers can just get out there and play some dang football!
Additionally, Sean McVay's Rams have not been in top form thus far. Sitting at 2-3 despite bringing back the majority of last season's championship core, Los Angeles has proved to have some exploitable flaws, specifically in the passing game on both sides of the ball.
This provides a wonderful scenario for a team of Panthers players looking to get out there and prove that they are much more than they had been coached to be through five weeks. Whether or not the team has the (healthy) talent to pull off the upset, look for Carolina to be playing with enthusiasm and urgency not which has been missing so far. Here are some of the players to watch for both teams:
DJ Moore, Wide Receiver, Carolina
The Panthers' star receiver has averaged 1,175 yards receiving since his rookie year. This season he's recorded just 197 yards receiving though, which puts him on pace for 670 yards, even less than his rookie year. With no more than 59 yards in a single game and just a 46% catch rate on the season, something needs to change. Moore has performed with sub-optimal quarterback play in the past, so the lack of connection with Baker Mayfield thus far has been especially alarming.
The Panthers need to get their stud going. There is absolutely no reason he should not be schemed to be peppered relentlessly with targets for the rest of the season, no matter the quarterback. Thankfully, Moore has a surprisingly fantastic matchup against a Rams secondary who have been amongst the worst teams in the league at corralling opposing receivers. Even with PJ Walker under center, expect DJ Moore to be a much more intentional part of the offense this week than he has been.
Rob Havenstein, Tackle, Rams
The Rams' protection of Matthew Stafford has been suspect at best so far this season. The Rams are giving Stafford an average of 2.3 seconds before pressure, tied for the seventh-worst rate in the league. Havenstein is usually one of the more sturdy tackles in the league but has found his share of struggles this year. Brian Burns finds himself in a salivating position to add to his 4 sacks on the season, and Havenstein will need to hold the fort down to keep his quarterback upright.
Ikem Ekwonu, Tackle, Panthers
Ickey has been coming along quite nicely after a rough first couple of weeks. The sixth overall pick in the 2022 draft has allowed just three sacks on the season and even garnered the PFF's highest-graded game by a tackle this season against San Francisco's league-best defense.
Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris coaches one of the best front sevens in the game in their own right, and they will definitely be looking to take advantage of a Carolina skill position group ravaged by injuries and inconsistencies. If Ekwonu is again able to hold down the fort against a tough matchup so early in his career, it will be a really great sign for the budding star.
Darrell Henderson, Runningback, Rams
With Cam Akers out for personal reasons, the Rams will likely be leaning on Henderson as their bell cow back this weekend. Henderson has yet to top 47 yards rushing in a game this season though, and is averaging only 4.06 yards per carry. While a lot of that struggle can be attributed to the patchwork offensive line play, the Rams are going to have a hard time running the clock against a hungry Panthers defense if Henderson can't rise to the occasion.
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