Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: Carolina Panthers
By Ash Thompson
Quarterbacks
Cam Newton spent last season banged up and under fire. He had career lows in touchdown passes, completion percentage, and yards per attempt. As a dual threat, he also ran the ball fewer than 100 times, for the first time in his career, and also ran for a career-low five rushing touchdowns.
Newton underwent off-season surgery to repair the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, but has resumed throwing, and looks like he will be ready for training camp. Newton has been somewhat different than usual in his off-season interviews, stating that he needs to be more open to allowing other players to make plays, and stop taking the entire offense on his own shoulders. He still compares himself to Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, he hasn’t completely changed who he is, but there is a little bit of humility creeping into the 28-year-old’s demeanor.
Newton is the kind of Quarterback that can give the Lions fits on defense. He is more than capable of evading a single effective pass rusher, so the Lions will need to generate a secondary pass rush, something they struggled with in 2016. Players like Kerry Hyder, Armonty Bryant, and A’Shawn Robinson will need to pick up the slack when Newton deftly evades Ziggy Ansah’s furious charge from the blind side.
In the event Newton is injured, the Panthers have a capable backup, but one that poses none of the strategic threats of Newton. Derek Alexander has shown the ability to guide a team competently for short stretches in relief. He turns the ball over at an alarming rate, however, he has thrown more TDs than INTs only three times in his eleven-year career. That would favor the Lions immensely.
Wide Receivers
The Panthers has used a plethora of high draft picks at the wide receiver position in the last few years. Kelvin Benjamin, the Panthers first round pick in 2014, came into the offseason workout program “a little heavy” in April, but has reportedly lost the excess weight.
A 270lb Kelvin Benjamin is what Lions fans should hope for, but a 245-250lb Kelvin Benjamin is what they should expect to see during the season. Benjamin has been the team’s leading wide receiver in both of the seasons in which he played, and is clearly their number one threat from the position.
Devin Funchess, the team’s second-round pick in 2015 out of Michigan, has been a major disappointment. He has 53 receptions in two seasons and was sixth on the Panthers in receptions in 216. The Panthers hoped that a pair of towering receivers would take the red zone pressure off of Newton, but they combined for only 11 touchdowns in 2016.
In the 2017 Draft, the Panthers replaced their smaller receivers, Ted Ginn, and with their first two picks. The first was Christian McCaffery who I will touch on more in the running back section. The second was Ohio State “offensive weapon” Curtis Samuel. While he lacks the size of the Panther’s other receivers at 5’11” and 196lbs, he brings a dynamic playmaking ability that the Panthers have lacked. On paper at least, there appears to be a clear niche within the Panthers receiving corp for the rookie.
Tight Ends
Gregg Olsen is one of the best all-around tight ends in the NFL. He is both a 1000 yard receiver and a capable blocker. The rest of the Panthers tight end group are within one inch and ten pounds of Olsen’s 6’5″ 255lb frame, but completely lack his ability to find the seam in zone coverage, or dominate linebackers one on one.
Olsen is the primary problem that the Lions will have to solve in the passing game for their week five matchup. He has been hinting that he would be willing to hold out for a new contract, but it is difficult to imagine him not being present for the week five game vs. the Lions.
The Lions secondary will be tested against the Panthers. They have the athleticism to deal with players like Samuel, but the size of Funchess and Benjamin will be a problem for any secondary if the Panthers can give Newton enough time to deliver the ball accurately. The effectiveness of the Panthers receivers will be a function of how well the Lions limit Newton.