Week 3 to week 13. What needs to happen

[lightsout]

So we all know how the first meeting with the Saints went. It was troublesome for us. We all were already worried for this team's success moving forward, and then that happened. However, the Panthers SEEM to have gotten the offense moving in the right direction the last few weeks (save for Cam's rough outing last week), and this is now a different team than in week 3. So, what needs to happen now for the Panthers to win? Week 3 was not even close.

NO has to feel CMC

Not just see him with the ball in his hands. Not just a play or two where CMC's athletic ability saves a lost yardage play for a 3 yard gain. I mean CMC has to eat. All game. Through the air, on the ground, NO has to feel the presence of Christian McCaffrey. He had a good receiving day in week 3. Let's hope the Saints still refuse to matchup with him. I believe he'll be healthy, and Olsen may be kept out to allow further recovery (at least limited greatly). If CMC can't worry that defense, we're going to struggle mightily with the following needs.

Running game needs to hit from start to finish

The OL has done a better job the last few weeks than they did in week 3. Now, we did decent in terms of avg. yards per rush in week 3, but we still didn't do well enough to win. They have to have their best game of the year this Sunday. Anything short of that and this is a loss waiting to happen. The Saints are going to score on our secondary, so we have to be able to control the clock and the field so we can at least stem that a few times and generate some points. If we can score 21+, we can win this game. This comes down to being able to run the ball effectively so we can control clock and field position.

Drew Brees needs to be Pepper'd

Because...Peppers. Anyway, Brees only had 7 incomplete passes in week 3. Mario got the only sack. Basically, our DL got handled and our secondary got shredded. We've gotten better pressure since then, so I think we get to Brees more often and frustrate them. I also think we don't let their ground game hurt us much at all. This game will be about Brees and the defense. If we get to Brees early and often, and if the offense gets going and can actually score touchdowns, we put this game away early. If not, we're in a shootout and none of us should be confident in our offense in a shootout on a hostile field.

Side note, Kamara isn't a concern because he didn't do much in the first meeting against us (save for one good run). He didn't become more than he was then suddenly. Our linebackers can handle him (they face CMC weekly, after all). 


The above is a necessity. Failure on any of them is almost certainly a loss. Let's hope they find a way to get it done.

[Khyber53]

More than anything, this game will be won by the DL and OL. 

[The Huddler]

A rookie in Kamara cant grow and become a better player from the biggining of the season to towards the end? Role expansion, expirience, timing and a better feel for the pro game cant increase?  Im sorry but your assumption there is wrong. Sure, i hope we can bottle him up, and i think we have the oersonel to do so,  but to think he will be the same player like a veteran that weve known of for years would certainly bite us in the ass. Just because he didnt have the biggest impact the first time around diesnt mean we get to take that luxury and discount him strategically. The past doesnt neutralize the future. Thankfully, i know our coaching staff isnt taking that preparation as lightly and our gameplan isnt being constructed by fans on a message board. 

[Hoenheim]

You left out the most important thing, which is turnovers. Cam threw 3 interceptions the last game, you don't win many games where you throw 3 picks. We are 0-3 on the season when Cam throws more than 1 interception. Its a very good sign if Cam doesn't throw any picks and has multi passing TDs that means we either win or we're at least in the game in the 4th. 

I think the 2nd think besides turnovers is stopping their run game. Pressure on Brees is important but it wont even matter if they just run all over us, that will throw the defense completely off and Brees will kill us with play action the rest of the game. Most important plug up the middle. I've seen far too many runs this season where Mark Ingram just flies strait through the teeth of a Dline for 30 yards, that cant happen or it'll be a blowout saints victory if we can't stop the run. 

I can live with our DBs failing to cover well which I've seen all season, but I really dont want to be ebarrassed like the Bills were from getting run right at and through by the Saints. And the Bills had a great run D before that game so.. just something the team can't take likely. Stopping Kamara and Ingram are huge.

[UpstatePanther]

Ive said it before and i'll say it again (and it may just be a way to hype myself up about the matchup and console myself for a lackluster performance last week), but this team got caught looking ahead to this game last week against the Jets. as much as they tried to claim that they werent, this week is obviously the bigger game between the two. you cant tell me that they spent no time whatsoever getting alittle extra prep in for New Orleans coming off the bye. it nearly bit them in the ass against the Jets but thats a moot point now. we ready. 

we're pissed.

we're hungry.

we're motivated.

we may still lose, but this game will be a hell of alot closer than before. and IF we lose, i bet we see them in the playoffs and beat them.

[jfra78]

56 minutes ago, UpstatePanther said:

Ive said it before and i'll say it again (and it may just be a way to hype myself up about the matchup and console myself for a lackluster performance last week), but this team got caught looking ahead to this game last week against the Jets. as much as they tried to claim that they werent, this week is obviously the bigger game between the two. you cant tell me that they spent no time whatsoever getting alittle extra prep in for New Orleans coming off the bye. it nearly bit them in the ass against the Jets but thats a moot point now. we ready. 

we're pissed.

we're hungry.

we're motivated.

we may still lose, but this game will be a hell of alot closer than before. and IF we lose, i bet we see them in the playoffs and beat them.

 

[mbarbour1987]

8 hours ago, The Huddler said:

A rookie in Kamara cant grow and become a better player from the biggining of the season to towards the end? Role expansion, expirience, timing and a better feel for the pro game cant increase?  Im sorry but your assumption there is wrong. Sure, i hope we can bottle him up, and i think we have the oersonel to do so,  but to think he will be the same player like a veteran that weve known of for years would certainly bite us in the ass. Just because he didnt have the biggest impact the first time around diesnt mean we get to take that luxury and discount him strategically. The past doesnt neutralize the future. Thankfully, i know our coaching staff isnt taking that preparation as lightly and our gameplan isnt being constructed by fans on a message board. 

It’s funny, cuz we say that CMC will be better next time, but “said rookie” won’t be. Kamara will be tough. My bold prediction was that he would score all their TDs. I expect them to get him going early. Ground and air, he is a serious threat. 

[lightsout]

OK, I'm not saying Kamara won't be wiser or in a more involved role. I'm saying, I'm not overly concerned with him vs our defense. Call it overconfidence or ignorance, but he won't torch us. He'll get a play or two because he's a high caliber athlete, but he won't be this dominant field presence that is going to gash us over and over again. I could be proven wrong in that, sure, but I don't foresee it.

[Davidson Deac II]

23 hours ago, Hoenheim said:

You left out the most important thing, which is turnovers. Cam threw 3 interceptions the last game, you don't win many games where you throw 3 picks.

Yeap, most important thing.  If we turn the ball over like we did in the last game, none of the other stuff matters.  

[XOBlackxJokerOX]

In the stat line, Cam threw three INTs. One was a tip drill, another on Cam, and another was just a damn good play by the CB (they get paid too). I expect this time around to not be so sloppy. Execution killed us in that game. 

[trucpfan]

15 hours ago, lightsout said:

OK, I'm not saying Kamara won't be wiser or in a more involved role. I'm saying, I'm not overly concerned with him vs our defense. Call it overconfidence or ignorance, but he won't torch us. He'll get a play or two because he's a high caliber athlete, but he won't be this dominant field presence that is going to gash us over and over again. I could be proven wrong in that, sure, but I don't foresee it.

This is just how I feel he's a elite athlete so he's destined to do work but as far as what we've seen nawww lol. We have elite athletes with seasoning we key on certain things and not letting a rookie go off is the standard around here. WORLEY in all seriousness is the difference we have to minimize his exposure games we've won vs good passing teams he wasn't in the field that much. If so slants and hitch routes will be open all damn game with tons of soft coverage which is a layup for Brees. If Ron wants a win we have to limit how much he plays.