The Carolina Panthers have lost six of their last seven games heading into today’s matchup with the Denver Broncos. If they’re going to turn that trend around, they’ll need to follow a few keys.
Here are two that should help get them back in the win column.
Offense: Let Curtis Samuel lead
The Panthers are missing a couple of key pieces on offense this week, with Christian McCaffrey out due to shoulder/thigh injuries and D.J. Moore still on the reserve/COVID-19 list. That makes it all the more important for Carolina to get No. 10 involved. Robby Anderson should get his targets, but Curtis Samuel is the best playmaker in the lineup today and therefore needs to get the most touches. Samuel has been dynamic as a rusher and a receiver this season and this is an excellent opportunity for him to prove (again) that he’s worth a long-term, lucrative contract extension.
Defense: Make Denver one-dimensional
The Broncos don’t have a very capable starting quarterback in Drew Lock, who has thrown more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (9) this year. Meanwhile, Denver has a couple of solid running backs in Philip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon and they have one of the league’s more run-heavy offensive schemes. The gameplan for defensive coordinator Phil Snow should be to shut down the Broncos’ rushing attack and force Lock to beat his young defense.
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