Tag: Tim Weaver

Super Bowl LVI Predictions: Seahawks Wire staff split between Bengals and Rams

Here are our picks for who wins and why plus Super Bowl MVP.

Sunday’s game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams should be one of the most interesting Super Bowl matchups in recent memory. While LA is favored and has the home field advantage, there’s something undeniably special about this Cincinnati team – even if it’s just dumb luck being on their side so far in the playoffs. It’s not hard to imagine the Rams blowing them out, but we’re anticipating a tight game.

Our Seahawks Wire staff is split on who’s going to come out on top. Here are our picks for who wins and why plus Super Bowl MVP.

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Week 8 with Panthers Wire

The Atlanta Falcons play their second of six divisional games on Thursday night when they take on the Carolina Panthers.

The Atlanta Falcons play their second of six divisional games on Thursday night when they take on the Carolina Panthers. When these two teams last met in Week 5, the Panthers earned their third-straight win, while giving the Falcons their fifth-straight loss.

Three weeks later, Atlanta has a new coach and Carolina has come back down to earth, losing two games in a row. To help us preview this Week 8 matchup, we caught up with our pal Tim Weaver, the managing editor of Panthers Wire for some inside info.

Falcons Wire: The Panthers have cooled off since the last meeting between these two teams. What’s happened and is Carolina still an NFC South contender this season?

Panthers Wire: Short answer is they played some tougher opponents. The Bears have an elite defense and they were able to harass Teddy Bridgewater and contain Mike Davis. The Saints game was very winnable, but their defense just couldn’t get a stop on third down when they needed one.

This is still a surprisingly good team and they have been competitive in every game this year. They aren’t going to win the division but they can compete for that extra wild card spot. 

Is there any chance RB Christian McCaffrey plays on Thursday night?

PW: McCaffrey has been designated to return from IR but he is not going to be in the lineup, tonight. He has been out since Week 3 with a high ankle sprain, so exercising caution is the right idea. They need to be at full strength offensively to have a prayer against the Chiefs in Week 9, which is when he will likely return.

How is Panthers first-year head coach Matt Rhule handling the team’s recent struggles?

PW: Rhule has been pretty impressive as far as getting the most out of what he has. This roster has a lot of holes and is extremely inexperienced compared to the rest of the division. Especially considering there was no preseason and the fact they’ve been ravaged by injuries, this team is way ahead of where we expected them to be at this point. Rhule will get these resilient Panthers back on track and they’ll have a shot to finish 8-8.

Name one Panthers player who has stood out that Falcons fans may not be familiar with?

PW: Jeremy Chinn is the new kid to watch. He was just named the Defensive Rookie of the Month for October. They call Chinn a linebacker but he’s lined up all over the field and made stops consistently. He has tremendous range and is getting better every week in coverage. They got a special one, here.

How has QB Teddy Bridgewater played in the Panthers’ recent losses?

PW: Bridgewater was pretty bad against Chicago.  Their pressure seemed to rattle him right from the start and he never really got into a rhythm. He wound up throwing a couple of picks and it was easily his worst game of the year. Teddy bounced back against New Orleans, though. He had a perfect passer rating at halftime and looked as good as he has for Carolina so far. Overall, Bridgewater has been solid but needs to be more aggressive. If he does the Panthers can average 30 points per game, easily.

Who wins on Thursday/final score prediction?

PW: This Panthers offense has looked very sharp against everyone but Tampa and Chicago, who have two of the best defenses in the league. I respect them to score a lot of points on their opponents who don’t have an elite D though and this is one of them. Carolina 33, Atlanta 24

Thanks to Tim Weaver, and make sure to check out his Behind Enemy Lines interview with Falcons Wire.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Week 5 with Panthers Wire

Through the first quarter of the 2020 season, the Atlanta Falcons (0-4) and Carolina Panthers (2-2) are two of this year’s surprise teams, but for very different reasons.

Through the first quarter of the 2020 season, the Atlanta Falcons (0-4) and Carolina Panthers (2-2) are two of this year’s surprise teams, but for very different reasons. The Falcons were supposed to be a few tweaks away from returning to contention, while the Panthers cut their former MVP quarterback and were expected to tank.

Things rarely go the way they’re expected to in the NFL, though. To help up us preview Atlanta’s Week 5 matchup with NFC South rival Carolina, we caught up with Tim Weaver, the managing editor of Panthers Wire.

Everything about the Panthers’ offseason suggested they was going into tank mode. How is it that the team is 2-2 considering all the changes?

TW: Most of the offseason doom and gloom was centered around the defense. A lot of analysts predicted Carolina would have the worst defense in the league. While it’s definitely been below-average, it’s far from the worst. That’s made a huge difference in terms of how competitive they have been every week. Matt Rhule and his staff also deserve a lot of credit for making them this good without having a preseason to work with.

The Panthers replaced former MVP QB Cam Newton with Teddy Bridgewater. Seeing that Newton was healthy enough to start for the Patriots in Week 1, why exactly did Carolina get rid of him?

TW: That’s the $63 million question. I thought Newton had a lot of good football left in him based on what he did early in 2018 and so far that’s proven right based on what he’s done in New England. The Panthers deserve most of the blame but for the NFL to allow Bill Belichick to get him at the price he did was inexcusable. Bridgewater is a fine starter and game manager, but his ceiling is simply nowhere close to Cam’s.

Who is stepping up in place of injured RB Christian McCaffrey?

TW: Mike Davis has been a pleasant surprise for the Panthers. We lobbied for him to be cut all offseason so the team could save $3 million in cap space. However, he’s been running decisively and making a lot of tacklers miss. Davis is also pretty good as a receiver and doesn’t drop anything thrown his way.

Where are the Panthers most vulnerable for the winless Falcons to attack in Week 5?

TW: That’s a tough one. There are some soft spots but there is no one true glaring weakness on this roster. If there is one, it’s veteran linebacker Tahir Whitehead, who is trying and failing to take over at Luke Kuechly’s old spot. He’s been a total liability in coverage and has drawn some huge penalties at bad times.

Which team wins in Week 5 and what’s your final score prediction?

TW: I know I’m asking for trouble because the Falcons have won five in a row and 8 of 9 in this series, but I’m picking Carolina mostly based on just how awful Atlanta’s defense has been so far this season. Robby Anderson in particular could eat them up given their injuries on the back end. Panthers 33, Falcons 27.

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