Panthers At Chargers Preview: Justin Herbert To Start
The Chargers host the Panthers in Week 3. Tyrod Taylor’s Injury Means Justin Herbert STarts
Justin Herbert’s NFL career has started in unusual fashion thanks Tyrod Taylor’s injury, which added to Anthony Lynn’s headaches, but the Chargers aren’t the only team with problems.
The Panthers (0-2) head to the West Coast, to face a Chargers (1-1) team licking their wounds. Neither team can afford to lose ground to their divisional rivals. Matt Rhule needs a win, while Anthony Lynn puts his faith in the rookie quarterback.
Chargers’ Starting Quarterback
Speaking to the media, Coach Lynn said Taylor starts if he’s healthy, but that scenario looks unlikely. ESPN insider Adam Schefter takes up the story.
The Bolts have played two games with two different quarterbacks, and fans can expect to see Herbert starting under center. Can Herbert live up to expectations on Sunday after a promising NFL debut? The Bolts played exciting football for two quarters in their home opener, but there’s still plenty to do, especially in the Red Zone.
Panthers Poor Start to 2020
After two losses to Las Vegas and Tampa Bay, Matt Rhule appears to have an uphill battle on his hands, especially as he has lost his star running back in Christian McCaffrey. PFF grades McCaffery as the third best offensive back across the NFL.Teams rely on their playmakers to win games, and losing McCaffrey will hurt Carolina’s stock. The star running back scored a rushing touchdown on a 4th and 2 in Sunday’s loss.
Panthers Offense
Through 2 weeks Carolina has shown a middle-of-the-pack offense. Football Outsiders has them listed as the 15th DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) total offense, coming in at 25th in passing offense and 17th in rushing offense. However, much of that offense was a result of the stellar play by the now injured Christian McCaffrey.
Under center for the Panthers this year is Teddy Bridgewater, following the departure of long-time quarterbacl Cam Newton. Bridgewater looked uncomfortable as the Panthers gave up five sacks to an effective Tampa Bay pass rush in Sunday’s Week 2 loss. So far in 2020 Bidgewater has been up and down. No.5 didn’t match a steady Week 1 performance when he bombed against Tampa Bay on Sunday, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble.
The former 1st round pick is 55 of 76, with 636 yards, a touchdown and two picks. PFF ranks Bridgewater 25th, with an overall grade of 64.6. However, don’t write the veteran off in this game, he still can find passes in tight spaces when given the right amount of time. Unfortunately for him that might not be the case as the Chargers look to bring their 10th ranked pass defense (Football Outsiders) and one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.
Carolina offers a formidable wide receiver duo. Robby Anderson is a potent deep receiver, the former New York Jet has had a hot start in Carolina, with 15 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown. D.J. Moore bounced back after a poor Week 1 showing, with a 120 yards receiving against the Buccaneers, whcih he’ll look to improve on Sunday.
The offensive line might look familial to Chargers fans, as it features former Bolts Russell Okung and Michael Schofield. However, it’s Matt Paradis who anchors Carolina’s offensive line. The veteran played five seasons with the Broncos. Schofield is a capable guard, but he hasn’t lived up to his 2016 performances (ranked 34th of 75). Schofield’s matchup with Linval Joseph is one to watch. The Panthers lost a bit of mettle when they traded Trai Turner to the Chargers in exchange for Russell Okung. Okung vs Ingram (and Nwosu) will be another match up to watch.
The Panthers showed offensive line fragilities at key moments against Tampa Bay. With the ball on their own 7 yard line, Bridgewater handed the ball to McCaffrey, but Paradis allowed Devin White to get the better of him. The play resulted in a 2nd and 11, but he Tampa defense didn’t capitalize on a good field position. It’s something Gus Bradley should identify in this week’s preparations.
Panthers Defense
The Panther’s defense has not been very good to start the year. Football Outsiders has them ranked as the 4th worst unit (29 of 32) in defensive efficiency overall. They come in at 25th in pass defense and 29th in rush defense. Let’s start by looking at how they’ve faired against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay’s rushing attack.
Carolina’s defense has struggled to stop the run so far. They’ve been torched by Josh Jacobs and Leonard Fournette in back to back weeks. Phil Snow’s unit has now given up three rushing touchdowns in consecutive weeks as well. It’s a situation that should be exploited by Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley, who have formed a solid 1-2 punch in the LA backfield.
From a pass rush perspective, Phil Snow’s defense hasn’t registered a sack in 2020, and time in the pocket will suit LA’s starting quarterback. Snow has plenty to do before the teams jet off to the West Coast this weekend. Rookie DT Derrick Brown must clean up his game after he gave up an avoidable penalty for unnecessary roughness in Week 2. Jeremy Chinn (S) and linebacker Shaq Thompson both lead the team with 15 tackles.
Decision Making
The Chargers aren’t the only team from Week 2 with poor decision making on 4th downs. With less than two minutes on the clock, and on a 4th down and goal, Rhule sent out the field goal unit when the Panthers were down by 10.
Keys To Victory
Gus Bradley should demand sacks and turnovers in this game. The Panthers offensive line looked fragile in Week 2, and there’s no excuses for not emulating what the Buccaneers did. While much was made about Herbert’s interception losing the turnover battle, it’s the defense who also lost, garnering 0 turnovers vs Kansas City.
Ball control is the second key to victory. Herbert led the Chargers on a drive lasting over 10 minutes on Sunday. But despite scoring three instead of six, it gave the defense a break. The Chargers held the ball for over 10 minutes longer than Kansas City, they should look to match this number on Sunday.
Finally, the Chargers need to convert touchdowns when they enter the red zone. They currently rank 26th in Red Zone conversions, a paltry statistic for Shane Steichen’s offense.This game gives the Bolts (re: Steichen) an opportunity to address the situation against a susceptible defense.
Panthers INJURY REPORT
Christian McCaffery is out. Kawanna Short and Dennis Daley are questionable.
CHARGERS INJURY REPORT
FINAL WORD
Woz’s Final Word: Herbert raised the bar with his Week 2 display, but the emphasis will be on ball security. I’d like to see improvements on all three phases of the game, in particular the pass rush unit. They jumped offsides too many times against Kansas City. Throughout the game, I’ll be keeping a close watch how the players rally after Sunday’s disappointing defeat.
Ayers’ Augury: As much as we all want the team to #LetHerbieCook, I think the Chargers will bring a run-first attitude to a defense who has been gashed by the run for 2 weeks. If they can control the clock on offense, and stifle Carolina on defense, I don’t think there will be much need for Herbert to sling the ball like he did versus Kansas City. This should be a pretty easy win for the Bolts, unless their conservative and unimaginative play-calling gets in the way and keeps Carolina in the game longer than they should be.
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