Carolina Panthers: Week 11 Preview
Carolina Panthers at Detroit Lions
Sunday, November 18
1:00 p.m.
The Panthers will look to get back on track tomorrow afternoon as they take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit. After winning three in a row and looking very impressive, the Panthers were pummeled 52-21 last week in Pittsburgh. In a game where they failed to rush for 100 yards, the Panthers will need to get back to attacking on the ground with Cam Newton running the ball a few more times. McCaffrey has really come on strong lately and will need to continue his dominance to open up the down-field passing game. The dual-threat McCaffrey has asserted himself as one of the games top running backs. The offensive line will also have to be better this week, as they allowed five sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Lions are not competing at a very high level right now, and seemed to throw in the towel with the trade of wide receiver Golden Tate. And speaking of offensive lines, nobody’s has been worse than the Lions in the past two weeks, as they have allowed 16 sacks in that time span. With offensive lineman TJ Lang now placed on injured reserve, look for the Panthers defense to really exploit that weakness and make things miserable for gun-slinger Matthew Stafford.
Prediction: With a really vulnerable offensive line right now, and a Panthers defense capable of really getting after the quarterback, the Lions will struggle to get anything going for most of the day. They will fall behind early and look to play catch-up. The Panthers have been playing extremely well, with the exception of last week when they ran into a very good Steelers team. With Cam Newton getting more time in the pocket this week, he will perform much better and have at least two throwing touchdowns and 40+ rushing yards. The Panthers, coming off extra rest, will win this game and will continue to try and chase down the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.