Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- Denver enters this game with a 4-3 record and 10 days of rest after their dominant performance against a depleted Saints team.
- Carolina will have second-year quarterback Bryce Young back under center after Andy Dalton was involved in a car accident this week.
- The Broncos continue to shift their offensive usage week to week as they look for the right combination of young players to ride down the stretch.
- Carolina’s offense was completely lost last week in Washington as the lack of game-changing talent is seemingly catching up with the Panthers.
How carolina Will Try To Win ::
This feels like a bit of a death march for Carolina as they head into the “lion’s den” of Denver and deal with the altitude and what has been an extremely impressive defense. It was safe to assume that Bryce Young would get another chance to start at some point this season, but this would not have been the spot you would want that to happen if you’re trying to help him regain his confidence. Denver’s defense ranks 3rd in the NFL in DVOA and has the leagues 5th highest QB pressure rate. Young’s propensity to take sacks and his struggles within the pocket against pressure does not indicate any likelihood of sustained success through the air in this matchup. The Panthers still do not have WR Adam Thielen back from injured reserve, and Diontae Johnson has come back down to earth after a couple-game stretch of strong performances. Looking back on things, we can see that Johnson’s “big games” occurred against defenses that rank near the bottom of the league in coverage grades (CIN and LVR) and/or are bottom-10 in the league in QB pressure rate (CIN, LVR, and ATL). This week, against a ferocious Broncos pass rush and PFF’s #1 graded coverage, it is unlikely that Johnson will have another game where he can carry the passing game.
After Johnson, the receiving corps consists primarily of raw and/or replacement-level type players. Rookie WRs Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, along with rookie TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, are the most involved pass catchers outside of Johnson and comprise the Panthers “11” personnel package while games are competitive. Second-year WR Jonathan Mingo also mixes in, but the main thing to understand is that none of these players are talented or polished enough at this point to count on for much in a tough matchup like this. Throwing Young into this situation is the worst-case scenario for the Panthers, as he is a player who clearly will need a talent advantage around him in order to have success, and this is about as far from that as you will find. Running back Chuba Hubbard continues to lead the backfield with Miles Sanders mixing in, but we shouldn’t expect much from Carolina on the ground this week as the Broncos have a strong run defense and are going to give zero respect to the Panthers passing game.
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