Game Overview ::
By papy324 >>
- The Panthers have the worst record in football (1-11) and were just the first team to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
- Chuba Hubbard played 65% of the snaps the past two weeks and has taken over as the lead back.
- Jonathan Mingo saw the most targets of his career last week (10) and looks to be more involved under interim head coach Chris Tabor.
- The Saints have a losing record (5-7) but are still just one game out of first place in the NFC South.
- Alvin Kamara has a premiere matchup on the ground, but the Panthers are above average against running backs in the passing game.
- Derek Carr is in concussion protocol for the second time this season, opening the door for Jameis Winston to start and for Taysom Hill to see more snaps at QB.
How carolina Will Try To Win ::
The 1-11 Panthers limp into Week 14 fresh off having been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. They are the first team to earn that distinction and there isn’t much to be happy about in Carolina. If looking for a silver lining, six of the Panthers’ 11 losses have come by one score, but even that stat is a bit misleading because that “one score” was often a touchdown. The Panthers tend to lose by a touchdown to mediocre teams and get killed by good teams. Tabor took over as the interim head coach from the fired Frank Reich last week. Tabor has been in the NFL since 2008, but he’s never been more than a special-teams coordinator. The Panthers didn’t change much under Tabor. They kept playing at a moderate speed (16th overall pace) and OC Thomas Brown kept calling the plays. It doesn’t matter how fast you move, or who is running the scheme when you have poor quarterback play. Bryce Young continued to look like he doesn’t belong in the NFL. A subpar athlete with raw decision-making skills, Young has a long way to go before he’s a threat to NFL defenses. The Panthers might as well let him try, but they’ve limited him to under 31 attempts in three straight games. They seem to know what they have, and what they have is a QB who you don’t want racking up pass attempts. Young hasn’t been good, but it doesn’t help that he’s playing behind a horrific (32nd ranked by PFF) and injured offensive line. The Saints have been awful at generating pressure (31st in sack percentage), but they can still win up front in this weakness-on-weakness matchup.
The Saints have been solid through the air (11th in DVOA) and hurt on the ground (22nd in DVOA) setting them up as a mini run funnel. That’s just what the doctor ordered for the Panthers which are 20th in Pass Rate Over Expectation (PROE). The Panthers throw a lot (seventh in pass rate) because they’re always losing, but they’d rather run, and this matchup sets up well for them to lean into their preferred method of attack. Even though the Panthers want to run, they aren’t very good at it (28th in DVOA), but technically, it’s the strength of their offense since they stink (30th in DVOA) through the air. Tabor seems to realize that he is a lame duck who is keeping the head coaching chair warm for a new face next season. He isn’t going to change much, and Thomas Brown seems to have figured out the Panthers play closer games when he limits Young’s opportunities to make mistakes. Expect another run-oriented game plan from the Panthers that is designed to hide Young.
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