Panthers-Giants battle in a Week 2 NFL matchup. Four keys to the game for Carolina
Panthers fans can find solace in the fact it took a legendary kick to beat Carolina in Week 1.
Rookie Cade York’s 58-yard game-winner is the longest made kick of his football life. His leg awarded the Cleveland Browns its first season-opening win since 2004.
For perspective, legendary Browns kicker Phil Dawson (who played 14 NFL seasons) had a career-long kick of 57 yards.
It took an unscripted slow start and a historical special teams moment for Carolina to lose.
That should encourage Panthers fans.
In Week 2, Carolina faces a familiar foe. The New York Giants have a new head coach in Brian Daboll. But quarterback Daniel Jones remains. He helped beat Carolina 25-3 last year. The new Giants coaching staff installed a comparable run game to Cleveland’s power and pin-pull style.
Limiting running back Saquon Barkley will be key. The 2018 No. 2 pick gained 194 total yards in Week 1 against a proven Tennessee Titans defense. He scored the go-ahead two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter and only had two negative runs on 18 carries.
A season removed from ACL surgery, everyone around the league and inside the Panthers facility believes Barkley is “back”.
Tackling one of the league’s top running backs will be an extraordinary challenge for a Carolina defense that missed 18 tackles in Week 1 and allowed 120-plus yards after contact against Pro Bowl backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Here are three more keys to the Panthers’ Week 2 game.
Give CMC the ball, early
Coaches do not formulate detailed plans to exclude their best players.
Then why did Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey only have 10 carries for 33 yards? Because the Panthers started slower than a Star Wars opening crawl.
Carolina ran 11 first-quarter plays. By halftime, the Browns notched 11 more plays than the Panthers. Defensive coordinator Phil Snow said the Panthers’ defense had to “practice differently” than the offense on Wednesday because his unit defended 81 plays (including penalties) compared to offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s 53 offensive snaps.
Expect McAdoo to feature CMC early and often on Sunday. The Giants defense held Titans All-Pro running back Derrick Henry to 82 yards on 22 carries. The Giants can defend the run but stylistically McCaffrey is a completely different player than Henry. Sure, Henry and CMC have comparable Madden overalls, but they do not play football the same.
Considering the Panthers’ offense progressively improved with each series, the team should pick up where it left off last week and roll into MetLife Stadium operating efficiently.
Panthers offense familiar with Giants
The Giants feature one defensive lineman worth game planning against: Pro Bowler Leonard Williams can disrupt games. The Panthers should be able to combat him with synchronized interior play from guards Brady Christensen, Austin Corbett and center Pat Elflein.
What the team must be prepared for are unorthodox blitz packages from Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. New York blitzed on 48 percent of plays last week. Martindale, who coordinated the Ravens’ defense the previous 10 seasons, averages a near 50 percent blitz rate per season.
Behind the blitz, Martindale tends to deploy man coverage. It’ll be both a challenging and potentially beneficial opportunity for receivers D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson and Shi Smith.
Smith is dealing with a groin injury and is questionable for Sunday’s game. Coach Matt Rhule said he is optimistic Smith will play. If he does, he will also return punts since the team put 34-year-old returner Andre Roberts on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has a career record of 3-5 against Martindale and his Ravens’ defenses. He’s thrown 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions against his defenses. On Wednesday, Mayfield said he knows what to expect from Martindale.
He added that the team signed a few players this off-season that helped Martindale deploy his style of defense. Carolina should be able to attack No. 2 cornerback Aaron Robinson.
Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and second-year linebacker Azeez Ojulari are both doubtful for Sunday’s game.
Can the Panthers’ defense sack the quarterback?
Carolina sacked Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett once last week. Defensive end Brian Burns notched four hurries and six tackles but did not connect for a sack. The Panthers’ defense blitzed on about 22% of snaps last week.
It’ll be interesting to see if Snow increases that number or not. Because the Panthers must hit Giants quarterback Daniel Jones on obvious passing downs. Whether that is via Burns beating double-teams or blitzes getting home, Carolina’s pass rush has a chance to change this game.
In Week 1 Jones was pressured on 18 of his 26 dropbacks. The Giants want to feed Barkley. He had six catches for 30 yards on seven targets. Jones is dangerous with his legs. If Carolina can force third-and-long then Burns or the blitz should disrupt the Giants’ passing game.
This story was originally published September 17, 2022 at 1:03 PM.
