Week 2: Do the Panthers Stand a Chance?

 Tomorrow, the Green Bay Packers will be in Charlotte, NC, taking on the home team Carolina Panthers. There's not a huge body of work to pull from in previewing this game, so let's take a look at what we do know about the Panthers.

Last week, the Panthers lost their season opener to the Cardinals in Arizona. As most of you know, Panthers' rookie QB and number one draft choice, Cam Newton, made quite the spectacle of his debut. He posted a 110.4 QB rating, throwing for 422 yards and 2 TD's (w/ 1 int). Impressive as that may be, (and it is quite so), Carolina of course lost the game, giving up 28 points and scoring just 21. Which brings me to my first tangible question:

• Can the Panthers defense stop a Packers offense that is, at its worst, still better than that of the Arizona Cardinals?

 In last week's opener, the Cardinals pegged the Panthers with 309 passing yards and 100 on the ground. Cards QB Kevin Kolb and WR Larry Fitzgerald are no scrubs, but replace them with QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Greg Jennings, and throw in the massive and athletic TE Jermichael Finley, and, well I'm no chemist, but look out. The Panthers run a base 4-3 defense, and their front four are all rookies or sophomores, with the exception of 5th year man, DE Charles Johnson. They're not known for getting to the quarterback, which puts more pressure on the defensive secondary to hold up their end of the bargain. As a result, Carolina's secondary is known for being pretty hot and cold.

Look for the Packers to challenge the Panthers with the deep ball on the perimeters. Specifically, if the packers see the 5'8"  CB Captain Munnerlyn lined up against 6'3" WR Jordy Nelson, expect them to go big.

   




Panthers CB's Chris Gamble (above) and Captain Munnerlyn have combined for just 3 INT's since Dec. of '09.

•  Both Green Bay and Carolina gave up a touchdown on punt returns in last week's season opener. So whose special teams has the edge?

The Panthers gave up an average of 30 yards per kickoff return last week. The Packers weren't much better, giving up 27 yards per KR. Carolina does not, however, boast a return threat like New Orleans' Darren Sproles (Green Bay's week 1 opponent). WR Randall Cobb, the Packers dynamic, new weapon at KR and PR, will likely have the Panthers kicking cautiously. For this reason, I think the edge goes to the Packers. But don't discount the importance of sound coverage. Last week, both squads showed room for improvement.

At the end of the day, there is no doubt that the Packers are the more complete football team, and it will be up to the Panthers to try and keep up in all phases of the ball. But Cam Newton won't make it easy, as he aims to add to his resume' and show that he can compete against the best.