Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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Defense on third down
Carolina's had defensive issues on third down all season long, entering Week 7 ranked No. 29 by allowing a 50.7 percent conversion rate. Only the Bills, Giants, and Titans have been worse.
That issue probably won't go away this week, as New Orleans has had one of the best third-down offenses. The NFC South foe is No. 4, converting 48.5 percent of its 66 attempts through five games.
Brees has stellar numbers on third down this season, completing 75.6 percent of his passes for 348 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. But of Brees' 21 passes from third-and-7 or more, only seven have resulted in first downs, with two resulting in touchdowns. That means there should be an opportunity for Carolina to make a stop with sound tackling, even if Brees completes a short third-down pass.
Still, that depends on whether Carolina can put New Orleans in those third-and-long situations. As always, preventing the opposition from gaining chunk yardage on first and second down remains paramount.
Red zone offense
The Panthers have put drives together and moved the ball this season, ranking No. 11 at 383.5 yards per game. But they've scored touchdowns on only 11 of their 23 trips inside the 20-yard line, which ranks No. 28 entering Week 7.
If there were ever an opportunity for a get-right game, it could be this week. The Saints' are No. 31 in red zone defense, allowing 85 percent of opponent trips inside the 20 to end in touchdowns. Though New Orleans' 20 opponent red zone trips are tied for 16th most, the Saints have given up the second-most red zone touchdowns with 17. That's despite the Saints playing one fewer game played than many teams since New Orleans had its bye last week.
But just because the numbers look like Carolina could have an advantage doesn't mean that's the way it'll turn out. One way to get better at scoring inside the red zone is to improve the ground game inside the 20. That's easier said than done.
"If there was an easy answer, it'd be fixed already," center Matt Paradis said. "There's a lot of factors, and I think the main thing is we just need to execute better on those downs."
Still, if the Panthers are going to win, they'll need to be at their best inside the 20.