Vikings Week 4 Preview: Key Panthers Players to Know

The Vikings are headed to Charlotte this weekend to take on the Panthers in a battle of desperate 0-3 teams. You're probably familiar with Bryce Young and Adam Thielen, but here are some other Panthers players to know ahead of Sunday's game.

OLB Brian Burns (0)

An elite edge rusher who finished with 12.5 sacks and 63 pressures last season, Burns already has three sacks this year. He's 6'5", 250 pounds, has all kinds of burst and bend, and is in the heart of his prime at 25 years old. The 16th overall pick in 2019, Burns has established himself as the Panthers' best player. He'll move around and face both Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill on Sunday. Playing on the fifth-year option without an extension, Burns is hungry to keep producing.

DT Derrick Brown (95)

Brown isn't far behind Burns for the title of Carolina's best player. He was picked seventh overall in 2020 and has mostly lived up to the billing since then, even if he has yet to make a Pro Bowl. Brown had 40 pressures, 67 tackles, and seven pass breakups last season, and he's off to a great start to 2023. He'll be a major factor on interior runs and may give Garrett Bradbury trouble in pass protection.

LB Frankie Luvu (49)

Luvu mostly flies under the radar, but he's a heck of a player. A former undrafted free agent with the Jets, he had a breakout season in 2022, stuffing the stat sheet with 111 tackles, 19 TFL, seven sacks, and a pick-six. Luvu will be all over the field on Sunday, assuming he plays (he was limited on Thursday with a hip injury).

G Chandler Zavala (62)

Zavala is notable for the wrong reasons. PFF charged the rookie guard with allowing a whopping 14 pressures in Sunday's game against the Seahawks, assigning him a 0.0 grade as a pass blocker. In three games, he's allowed 24 pressures, seven hits, and three sacks. No other guard has allowed more than 13 pressures this season, and Zavala did that in one game. (Vikings fans might be able to guess the player whose 13 pressures are second-most among guards). Minnesota needs to attack Zavala on Sunday, provided he doesn't get benched.

WR D.J. Chark Jr. (17)

Thielen is the No. 1 option in the Panthers' offense, leading the team in targets, catches, yards, and touchdowns through three games. But Chark is the deep threat; he's caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in two games. The LSU product had a 1,000-yard season with the Jaguars early in his career and went for 6-94-1 against the Vikings last season, when he was with the Lions.

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