The Carolina Panthers are very, very banged up. Fortunately, they have an early bye, and this is one of the few times where they’ll probably be happy to see it. But before they get there, they have to host the Detroit Lions in front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football. These kinds of games are always scary given some of the eggs we’ve seen laid by Panthers in this spot, and it’s even scarier given the team’s health. Let’s dive into the key matchups that the Panthers need to win or at least
be competitive to give themselves a chance to improve to 2-2.
Will Lee and Akayleb Evans vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown
Everyone who keeps up with the Panthers knows we have to start here. Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and the Panthers aren’t going to have their star cornerback duo to try to stop him. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are both out for the next several weeks at least, leaving rookie Will Lee and Akayleb Evans to handle him outsid. Chau Smith-Wade will have to give it his best shot in the slot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lions put St. Brown out wide more to test the Panthers’ corner depth. Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke can muddy up some throwing lanes in the middle to help when St. Brown works in that area, but I don’t know if the outside corners are going to stand a chance if left out on an island.
Monroe Freeling or Stone Forsythe vs. Aidan Hutchinson
Rookie tackle Monroe Freeling is currently in the concussion protocol, so his status for Sunday’s game is very much up in the air. If he can’t go, Stone Forsythe is poised to fill in. In either case, the Panthers will be at a severe disadvantage against superstar edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. The offensive line struggled against the Browns, and Hutchinson is arguably better than anyone on that Browns front. He already has 3.5 sacks this season and is liable to wreck the Panthers’ offensive game plan. They badly need whoever suits up at right tackle to at least put up a fight against Hutchinson.
Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke vs. Jahmyr Gibbs
Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position, so the Lions have elected to build most of their offense out of Gibbs. He’s averaging over 27 touches per game so far this season and converting those into 154.3 yards from scrimmage per game and six total touchdowns. He’s explosive if he gets out into space, and over a third of his carries and over half of his catches go for first downs. The Panthers linebacker duo is going to have their hands full getting Gibbs to the ground and keeping him from generating explosive plays, especially if the weather limits the Lions’ downfield passing game.
Football players vs. the rain
Current forecasts say it’s going to be cool and very wet on Sunday night. This game is widely expected to be a shootout, but the rain might put a significant damper on that. We’ll see what happens when two good offenses and two depleted defenses go against one another in a game where the weather is playing most of the defense.
