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A Look Ahead: Cardinals

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It’s only week three, but the season has been a letdown, to say the least. Fans had huge expectations for Carolina coming into this season, and the Panthers haven’t delivered. People are so miserable with the Panthers’ play, that they’ve turned on each other and started blaming Newton’s fashion as the reason they are losing. There are a lot of issues with the team, but Cam Newton’s attire isn’t one of them. Either way, on to week three and Carolina is playing the Arizona Cardinals in Arizona.

Arizona Cardinals

Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator

Kliff Kingsbury

Defensive Coordinator

Vance Joseph

Key Acquisitions

LB Terrell Suggs

WR Michael Crabtree

LB Jordan Hicks

G JR Sweezy

Key Losses

S Tre Boston

DE Marcus Golden

LB Josh Bynes

CB Patrick Peterson (Suspended for the first six games)

Key Draft Picks

QB Kyler Murray

CB Byron Murphy

DE Zach Allen

The Cardinals are searching for their first win of the season, as they have lost one game and tied another. Arizona didn’t have a ton of roster upgrades in the offseason, even though they only won three games in 2018. They did, however, have a solid draft. Quarterback, Kyler Murray, seems to have a ton of talent, and it looks to be translating fairly well at the next level. Corner, Byron Murphy, was one of the top defensive backs in the draft, and the Cardinals got him in the second round. Receiver, Andy Isabella and defensive end, Zach Allen, round out the last four rounds of a very good draft class. Murray, who has looked really good at times, is a mobile guy who can extend the play and make the throws needed. The Cardinals have the weapons around Murray to help his development. Larry Fitzgerald is playing like he’s a 25 year old pro bowl player. The Cardinals also have an electric running back in David Johnson, who is a solid between-the-tackles runner. He’s also heavily involved in the passing game. The Cardinals’ defense has been less than stellar, as they are 31st in total defense.

Carolina Panthers

Head Coach

Ron Rivera

Offensive Coordinator

Norv Turner

Defensive Coordinator

Eric Washington

Key Acquisitions

C Matt Paradis

LB Bruce Irvin

CB Javien Elliott

WR Chris Hogan

DT Gerald McCoy

S Tre Boston

Key Losses

LB Thomas Davis

C Ryan Kalil

DE Julius Peppers

Key Draft Picks

DE Brian Burns

OT Greg Little

RB Jordan Scarlett

What a disappointment. So much talent and nothing to show for it. Good news is, it has only been two weeks. There is plenty of time to get things rolling and win some games. Even though Carolina lost their first two games, they’re still only one game out of first place in the division. The Panthers need to come together to win this Sunday’s game and start a winning streak, like they did in 2013, where they started 0-2 and finished 12-4. With Cam nursing a nagging foot injury, it appears that Kyle Allen will get the start. McCaffrey will be heavily utilized again this week, and hopefully they finally use Jordan Scarlett a little, too. Allen will lean on veteran, Greg Olsen, who had a very good game last week. The defense needs to cover Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk, while also containing David Johnson and keeping tabs on Murray. This will be a tough test for this Carolina defense.

2019 Team Stats

Panthers
Cardinals
18th– 695 yds
Total Offense
12th– 736 yds
18th– 529 yds
Passing Offense
8th– 604 yds
24th– 166 yds
Rushing Offense
27th– 132 yds
16th– 20.5 ppg
Scoring Offense
14th– 22.0 ppg
12th– 638 yds
Total Defense
31st– 917 yds
2nd– 372 yds
Passing Defense
26th– 619 yds
24th– 266 yds
Rushing Defense
27th– 298 yds
23rd– 25.0 ppg
Points Allowed
22nd-25.0 ppg

Things to Watch

Carolina Panthers

This week’s starting quarterback, Kyle Allen, will lean heavily on McCaffrey in the running game, as well as, the passing game. Allen has good arm strength, and showed good decision making skills in the Saints game last year. While it was against mostly backups, Allen seemed to be able to make accurate throws, even under pressure. Coach Rivera has mentioned that one of Allen’s best features is making throws while under duress, and says he has been impressed with Allen’s work ethic. Don’t be surprised if Allen makes some deep throws when the defense (and Carolina’s offensive line) permits. In regards to Carolina’s offensive line, they need to protect Allen. Especially on the left side. Last week, Daryl Williams allowed 3 sacks on Newton and looked to be lost at times. Hopefully the lackluster play by Williams and Paradis is just a case of two guys working themselves back from lower body injuries, and they’ll improve as time passes. If Williams struggles this week, it would be a good idea to play Greg Little, who should be good to go. For a more in-depth anali

Christian McCaffrey is always ready to play, no matter the opponent. He didn’t have a great game against Tampa, but he should have a bounce back week. He will be relied upon in both facets of the game and will share “security blanket” duties with tight end, Greg Olsen, for Kyle Allen. Look for Carolina to use Jordan Scarlett and Reggie Bonnafon some this week, since they will likely be pounding the ball on the ground.

When Allen does pass the ball, Greg Olsen will be targeted quite a bit. DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel will likely get a few looks also. Moore has 16 catches for 165 yards, and will look to build on a solid start to the season. Samuel, who was training camp MVP, started slow but had a good game last week.

The defense has been relatively good this year, especially against the pass, and will look to get better against a rookie quarterback. They’ll have to keep tabs on Kyler Murray, since he is a mobile guy who always keeps his eyes downfield. Arizona has playmakers that can do a lot with the ball in their hands. One of those players is Damiere Byrd, who Panther fans are familiar with. Hopefully the defense will have Kawann Short, who has been on the injury report this week with a shoulder issue. The defense will have to contain David Johnson in the running game and also the passing game. This will be a tough task, but Carolina has the personnel to do it. Carolina’s run defense has been pretty shaky this season, so if they want to win, they’re going to have to clean that up. For a more in depth defensive analysis from Kevin, click here.

Arizona Cardinals

So far this season, Kyler Murray has 657 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and a QBR of 81.7. Not too shabby for a rookie quarterback who was considered too short to play the position. If Murray wants to get his first win, he’s going to need to limit his mistakes and feed the ball to David Johnson on the ground. Carolina’s defense has been good against the pass, but bad against the run.

David Johnson didn’t have a good game last week, but he could have a bounce back game against Carolina’s porous run defense. In the first two games, Johnson has amassed 96 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. He also has 7 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown. Hopefully Ron Rivera has a plan to contain Johnson.

Future Hall of Famer, Larry Fitzgerald, has been great so far this year, as he has 13 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown. Christian Kirk is also having a solid season so far, as he has 10 catches for 146 yards. Rookie quarterback, Kyler Murray, has used his receivers well and seems to have a good rapport with all of his weapons. Carolina has been good against the pass, so it’ll be interesting to see how these guys fair.

The Cardinals defense has been pretty bad so far this season. They’ll luck out by facing Kyle Allen and a less than stellar offensive line. Although, a healthy Kyle Allen will likely be better than having an injured Cam Newton on the field. The Arizona pass rush needs to pressure Allen and contain McCaffrey in order to win this game. That’s going to be a tough task for this mediocre defense. 

Keys to a Carolina Victory

• Run, run and run some more. No matter if it’s CMC or Scarlett. 

• Protect Kyle Allen. The line needs to give Allen three seconds to find his target. 

• Moore and company need to get separation. 

• Contain Kyler Murray. There’s no doubt that Murray is a threat outside of the pocket, so Carolina will have to keep tabs on him, as well as, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, Damiere Byrd and David Johnson. That’s going to be a tough task, but the Panthers have the players capable of doing so. 

• Keep David Johnson from breaking off any long runs. Johnson is one of the best running backs in the league, when you account for his pass catching abilities. He’s a patient runner who waits for the play to develop. Carolina needs to contain him as much as they can. 

Key Matchups

Christian McCaffrey VS Cardinals defensive line

DJ Moore/Curtis Samuel VS Byron Murphy

Larry Fitzgerald VS James Bradberry

Greg Olsen VS Terrell Suggs/Haason Reddick

Injury Report

Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton OUT 

Rashaan Gaulden OUT

Bruce Irvin OUT 

Greg Olsen QUESTIONABLE (Expected to play) 

Kawann Short QUESTIONABLE

Arizona Cardinals

Jonathan Bullard OUT

Arizona comes into this game relatively healthy, with everyone other than Bullard. Carolina still hasn’t seen Bruce Irvin on the field, which isn’t good, considering they were really relying on him to give them extra pass rush. With Irvin out, yet again, Brian Burns will get more opportunities. Burns has been very good when on the field. He only has one sack but he’s been excellent getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

Prediction

Each week, I’ve predicted a Carolina win. I almost feel as if I’ve jinxed the Panthers, but Carolina has the talent to beat Arizona. Carolina will run with ease and keep the ball out of Murray’s hands. The Panthers will finally find their run defense and hold Johnson to less than 80 yards. Kyle Allen will be ready and throw for a solid 225 and a touchdown. Carolina takes the away game, 27-24. Hopefully, Carolina listens to me. Allen, don’t let us down! I’m starting you in FanDuel! Keep Pounding! 

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