Packers vs. Panthers: Tale of the tape for Week 10 matchup
Defenses
Packers
The Packers defense started the year off hot. The pass rush seemed constant and the pass protection was solid. Now, it feels like they can’t come up with sacks consistently and teams are passing all over the secondary, specifically in the middle of the field.
Blake Martinez has been getting a ton of tackles, but most of them are after the ball carrier has picked up 3-4 yards already. Other than him, the inside linebacker position hasn’t been great. Pass coverage at that position has been abysmal. With safety Ibraheim Campbell coming back this week, hopefully, he can step into the position Raven Greene was playing before he was injured.
The thing the Packers defense has going for it is they bend, but they really don’t break. They allow teams into the red zone consistently but don’t give up a lot of points. I think this Panthers offense has some speed, which could give the Packers some problems. If Mike Pettine can get this defense rolling again, this will be a scary team.
Panthers
According to Football Outsiders, the Panthers are ranked third in adjusted pass defense and last in adjusted rush defense. With the rush defense, they are similar to the Packers. They allow 133 yards per game on the ground. Through the air, however, they allow just 229 yards per game.
The biggest task for this Panthers team will be slowing down Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams. If they can’t stop the Packers’ rushing attack, that will set Green Bay’s offense up well, allowing them to use play-action, something the Packers love to do.
The pass rush will need to get to Rodgers too. The Chargers’ pass rushers made life very difficult for Rodgers, and he struggled mightily. Rookie Brian Burns started his rookie year off hot but didn’t register a sack or tackle in each of the last two games. He has 4.5 sacks on the year and he is one of the players on the defense the Packers will need to pay attention to.
Next. Predicting Packers' final seven games in 2019. dark
I think the Packers offense gets back in its groove and makes life for the Panthers defense difficult. The Packers defense will face a quarterback with just eight career games under his belt. Being home and in colder conditions, I think the Packers defense has the advantage on Sunday.