Carolina Panthers: Defense Pivotal Against Rams
The Carolina Panthers defense must dictate the pace of Sunday’s game. keeping Case Keenum and the Los Angeles Rams passing attack in place.
The Carolina Panthers are heading out to Los Angeles in an attempt to win their first away game of the 2016 season. Waiting for them are the 3-4 Los Angeles Rams, a team in a better position than Carolina—but also stressed to maintain momentum this season.
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The Rams have struggled to keep up with teams that can put up points in bunches, which Carolina has shown an ability to do. The question is whether or not the Panthers defense can keep the Rams in check for long enough for the offense to build a lead and maintain it.
Carolina’s defense has failed to maintain the level of play that it’s shown in recent seasons. The group is giving up 28 points per game, rankings as one of the worst in the NFL. This is due to a number of different issues, but the organization hasn’t found any long-term solutions to date.
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The vaunted run defense continues to keep teams at bay, allowing only 80.1 yards per game. But it’s the passing defense that continues to fail, especially when this team is in need of a stop. The fact that the Panthers are allowing so many points per game reflects directly upon the defense giving up 306 yards through the air.
While Josh Norman may not be doing particularly well as a Washington Redskin, the result of his departure has impacted this Panthers secondary. When coupled with the retirement of Charles Tillman, Carolina hasn’t found the core of defenders that can keep opponents in-check.
Los Angeles doesn’t have the greatest passing attack in the league, but their inability to move the ball on the ground forces them to rely on this method of play. The Rams are only averaging 79 yards on the ground per game, which plays into the Panthers wheelhouse. However, the question is whether or not Carolina will be able to keep Case Keenum and the receiving core under wraps. Kenny Britt is the biggest name receiver for this Rams team, which doesn’t say much for that unit. If Britt and Keenum have a huge outing against Carolina, that would be speak volumes in how far this group in Carolina has fallen.
To make matters even more dire for the Panthers, defensive captain Luke Kuechly may not be 100 percent coming into this game. He is expected to play, but has been nursing a groin injury. That could limit his trademark ability of flying around the field on every play. Kuechly consistently plays while hurt, but the front seven will need to be at full strength if this unit is going to make a stand to push the Panthers to two-straight victories.
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The Carolina Panthers are in a bad place and need some sort of boost to turn things around. That boost can come with a strong showing against the Rams on the road in Week 9. To make this happen, the Panthers defense has to play at a high level against an offense that, on paper, doesn’t have the weapons needed to crack their armor. As they say, though, games aren’t played on paper.