“When you walk out of the gym and you know what their identity is, that’s the sign of a great coach. They are committed to it. You learned that obviously, they’re a good team. Like I said, they were a game away from being in sixth place. At no point in time did we think this was going to be a two game series.”
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said this about the Golden State Valkyries after defeating them to advance to the WNBA semifinals, but she might as well have been dropping this gem for any team in any league.
In the second year of the Dave Canales era, the identity of the Carolina Panthers is still unknown and undefined. It’s still a work in progress in the backdrop of their own disappointments and the angst of long-suffering fans. There are flashes, glimpses and concepts of an identity, but nothing has seemed to stick.
The Panthers host divisional rival Atlanta Falcons in their home opener on Sunday, and they will go into battle without center Austin Corbett (knee) and right guard Robert Hunt (torn biceps), leaving a huge void on the offensive line. Week 3 is another game and another opportunity to carve out an identity and to get their first win of the season.
Here are the keys to a Week 3 win.
Keep the Pocket Clean
Protecting Bryce Young without Hunt and Corbett will be tough, and it’s up to center Cade Mays and right guard Chandler Zavala to hold the offense down.
Atlanta’s front seven pressured JJ McCarthy 16 times and lit him up for six sacks in Week 2. Against the Vikings, the Falcons’ defense generated pressure on 53.3% of drop backs, which is the highest pressure rate by the team in a game in seven years.
They are generating pressure by being aggressive.
The Falcons are blitzing in this clip and this unit is opportunistic. Notice how James Pierce Jr. (27) swoops in and beats an unsuspecting Donovan Jackson (74). Pierce easily blows by Jackson and he, along with defensive end Brandon Dorids (54), is credited with the sack. The awareness of Atlanta’s defense to hunt the weakest link, along with their aggression, makes them a formidable matchup for anyone.
Atlanta also tends to let their linebackers roam and switch up its formations during pre-snap.
At the five-second mark, notice how Falcons linebacker Kaden Ellis (55) moves up to the line of scrimmage – turning their base set into eight in the box as safety Xavier Watts (31) also moves forward. Ellis gets a clear path to McCarthy even on a running play. Carolina might want to switch up their pre-snaps as well and ‘mirror’ the defense, moving when they do and moving multiple players at a time-which brings me to a second key.
Beating The Pass Rush
The Panthers could use the Falcons’ aggression against them. According to NFL Next Gen, the Falcons’ rush defense is currently ranked fourth in the league in pressure rate at 46.3%.
Carolina can implement extra blockers to compensate for the absence of Corbett and Hunt to keep the pocket clean. The offense could implement a steady diet of slants and screens to exploit gaps and some play actions to create space for Tetairoa McMillian to stretch the field.
Stopping The Run
The Panthers allowed 82 yards on the ground in Week 2, and against the Falcons, they will need an encore. For all of the flaws in Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 scheme, he had the rush defense prepared against the Cardinals. Bijan Robinson ran for 143 yards against Minnesota. For a team that’s run-focused, the Panthers should continue to be aggressive in their four-man rushes and even zone blitzes.
Kickoff is at 1 pm at Bank of America Stadium.
