The Carolina Panthers may be the betting favorite against the Miami Dolphins, but they must avoid this dangerous trap game.
At 6-3 the Carolina Panthers are in a position to make a run toward the post season. There’s a lot of action left in the 2017 season and the books are still open as to where they will end, but Carolina has looked good these last two games against NFC South rivals. On Sunday they travel back outside the conference to face the 4-4 Miami Dolphins.
As with any other game on the Panthers’ docket, Cam Newton’s play is vital to coming out with the win. Coming into this game he’s been a huge question mark because of inconsistent play. He has a negative touchdown to interception ratio and while the blame may fall on the offensive line’s inability to protect him, there’s still some finger pointing slowly building at Newton.
Miami’s passing defense is near the middle of the pack in the league as they’ve allowed 221 yards per outing. A key stat is that the Dolphins are struggling to get to the quarterback and that opens the door for not only Newton to have more time passing the ball, but for the running game to continue building momentum.
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Against the Atlanta Falcons the Panthers gained 201 yards on the ground. Newton and Christian McCaffrey both rushed for the bulk of the yards and one touchdown a piece. Miami should expect a healthy dose of the duo along with Jonathan Stewart. The important point is whether or not the offensive line continues their part of the deal by owning the line of scrimmage.
Ryan Kalil is listed as doubtful, but his absence didn’t negatively impact the Panthers offensive line last Sunday. Hopes are that Trai Turner and others can adequately step into the fold for the second week in a row. Miami’s rushing defense has played very well this season, keeping teams to 94 yards per outing. The Panthers run game against the Dolphins rush defense is a big matchup to keep an eye on this Sunday.
Defensively the Panthers should be able to perform well against Miami. The Dolphins are averaging 14.5 points per game and only 270.3 yards per game (these rankings are 32 and 31 in the league respectively). Carolina’s defense has looked good through most of the season, as they’ve allowed only 17.7 points per game and held teams to 274.1 yards per outing. If they can continue to operate at a high level and get those key takeaways as they have in recent games, Carolina looks to be in a strong position to come out with the win.
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The Carolina Panthers have outperformed many expectations at this point in the season. These are the types of games that they must win if they are going to make another run into the post season. The Miami Dolphins are coming into Charlotte in what seems to be a game at the right time for the surging Panthers, but there’s a term used to describe these types of games, “trap games.” Carolina must overcome this intriguing challenge to continue to gain credibility in the 2017 season.