Panthers have faced 2 hall-of-fame QBs this year. Why Patrick Mahomes is a special test
The Carolina Panthers are not expected to win Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Betonline has the Chiefs favored by 10.5 and that’s with Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey expected to make his return.
Any given Sunday anything can happen, but there’s a multitude of reasons for that. From quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s high-flying offense to the Panthers’ youth and inexperience.
The Panthers (3-5) have had the opportunity to go up against some Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the later portion of their careers this season (Drew Brees and Tom Brady).
But Mahomes, one of the top candidates for MVP, is a whole different test.
Looking at the matchup straight up, there’s not many reasons to have confidence in the Panthers defense. The unit has only forced one punt over the past two games. That’s not going to work against a 7-1 Chiefs team that leads the league in points (253).
The avenues for the Panthers to win this game are limited. Forcing turnovers on defense would be a starting point, but Mahomes has only thrown one interception this year (in the Chiefs’ only loss to the Raiders). Winning on third downs on both sides of the ball is important, however, Carolina has given up 58.3% of third-and-long attempts (6 to 9 yards), tied for third-most, while Kansas City has converted a league-high 61.5%.
The offense finding success in the red zone is another area that needs to be corrected. The Panthers score touchdowns on 53.8% of red-zone drives, 26th in the NFL.
But the toughest task falls on the young defense
Without cornerback Rasul Douglas — who is back off the reserve/COVD-19 list — and safety Juston Burris, who is still on injured reserve with a ribs injury, the defense is coming off two of its worst games of the year after a better-than-expected start.
They have given up 400-plus yards in each of the past two games and allowed the Saints and Falcons to sustain long drives. Each opponent held the ball for more than 34 minutes in those games.
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow said he’s looking forward to seeing how his group responds against such a strong foe.
“I’m looking forward to it. We have a lot of guys in their second year, their first year, and I want to see how they respond and go play this group,” Snow said. “They can be intimidating when you watch them on tape. So, I’m looking really looking forward to how we respond and play in this football game.”
There’s a lot of ways to look at this football game. How can the Panthers match up against Travis Kelce, Le’Veon Bell, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Tyreek Hill? McCaffrey is on pace to make his return. How will he look? Can the Panthers keep this close?
Those aren’t the only ways to look at a football game. As Snow pointed out, this defense is full of inexperienced players. And on Sunday they are going to get an opportunity with a healthier team — the Panthers are hoping DT Zach Kerr (toe) can make a return as well — and a team that has had extra time off to reflect and get ready for a tough task.
It will be interesting to watch how Brian Burns performs against Mahomes, and if rookie Jeremy Chinn (knee) is healthy, how Snow uses him. Can they improve on some of their weaknesses?
Part of this year is supposed to be watching this group grow and develop. This game is a good opportunity to see how some players respond to an opportunity and after a couple of less-than-stellar outings. And that’s certainly worth watching for.
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