The Panthers survived a scare on the road from the Saints on Sunday, leaving New Orleans with a rousing 41-38 victory. Along the way, however, the Saints may have revealed the three-part blueprint to handing the Panthers their first loss of the year.
Part 1: Sell Out vs. The Run
Completely stopping Cam Newton is basically impossible at this point, because of how much he has improved as a passer. However, Carolina’s offense still feeds off the running game, so that is what defenses should limit. The Saints held Jonathan Stewart to 82 yards, with one touchdown. They allowed Newton to rush for 49 yards, and Mike Tolbert to get 33. Those last two figures are not good, but holding Stewart to 82 yards is a reasonable goal.
Cam & The Panthers Can Absolutely Run The Table
The reason that defenses would want to stuff the Panthers running game is simple. For all of Newton’s greatness, he still has subpar receivers. Ted Ginn Jr. is the worst of the bunch; he had five catches for 80 yards and two scores, but he also dropped two bombs that hit both of his hands that would have been easy touchdowns. And he’s probably their best receiver. New Orleans has the worst defense in the NFL, but teams better equipped to slow down the run should make every effort to do so. If Ginn, Jerricho Cotchery and Devin Funchess can beat you then all power to them.
Part 2: Gamble On Defense
The Saints won the turnover battle 3-1. Turnovers are a very fickle stat, but teams can increase their odds by being more risky. In one-on-one coverage, defenders against Carolina should try for the pick rather than swat the ball down. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but the Panthers are not a conventional team. They are a grinding, unstoppable force right now led by Superman himself. Defenses have to be daring like New Orleans was. It’s not a surprise that the NFL’s top team in takeaways nearly fell in the game in which they lost the turnover battle.
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Part 3: Control The Clock With Short Passes
The typical thinking is that teams who run the football well control the clock. That is often true, but a team can control time of possession without a strong running game. New Orleans held the ball for 36:34, while the Panthers had it for just 23:26. Mark Ingram led the Saints in rushing with 56 yards, so Drew Brees, who threw 42 times for 282 yards, was the main reason for their methodical success.
Good luck to any team that thinks they can stuff the ball down Carolina’s throat on the ground when LBs Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis are the ones staring across from them. Teams are better off attacking the flats, or running short quick routes that don’t let the Panthers pass rush reach the QB. Just don’t throw it at Josh Norman.
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