NFL Carolina Panthers

Cam Newton Is Key To Carolina Panthers’ Week 10 Win

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By @RoKnowsDFS

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Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, one of the biggest surprises in the NFL was the dominance of the Carolina Panthers‘ defense, led by Defensive Player of the Year, Luke Kuechly. Their elite level of play was a main contributor to Carolina’s playoff run last year as they were able to limit many teams’ scoring opportunities. This came in handy quite a few times when their offense was struggling and the defense would help win the game by getting more possessions for the team. They gave up an average of 15.1 points per game, which was second only to the 14.4 given up by the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Unfortunately for last year’s NFC South champions, this season has been a far cry from last year. So far in 2014, the Panthers have given up an average of 26.2 points per game, which has them ranked 25th in the league. This has led them to an underachieving 3-5-1 record this season when compared to their 6-3 record at this same point last year. To their defense, they have been rushing the passer and defending the run over the last two weeks, but their pass coverage still remains abysmal. Unlike 2013, Carolina will need to rely a bit more on their offensive attack to stay in ball games. This will be particularly important in their Week 10 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles and their high-octane offense. With that being said, if the Panthers have any hope of winning their Monday Night Football showdown, then the key to their victory will be in the hands of Pro Bowl QB Cam Newton.

The matchup won’t be an easy one since the Eagles boast a very strong pass rush and run defense. However, they do have a glaring deficiency in terms of their pass coverage, especially when it comes to defending wide receivers. Their defensive attack actually plays towards a major strength of Newton’s and that is creating plays with his feet when flushed out of the pocket. This allows him to use his 4.58 40-yard dash speed to scramble away from would-be tacklers to either gain a chunk of rushing yards, or throw on the run to a WR — such as star rookie Kelvin Benjamin – that has broken free from his defender due to the play being extended. Therefore, the Eagles’ pass rush may work against them since a strong focal point of their game plan should be to contain Newton and not try to rush him out of the pocket into a situation he can take advantage of.

Philadelphia faced a similar situation in their Week 4 loss to the San Francisco 49ers where they failed to contain Colin Kaepernick effectively. This led to Kaepernick finishing the game with 218 passing yards, 58 rushing yards and passing TDs. Although some would disagree, Newton is a far superior QB and can easily put up better numbers against the Eagles than Kaepernick did. Entering his third Monday night game, where he is 2-0, including a 2012 win against the Eagles, Newton is in a prime position for a game with 250-plus passing yards, 100 rushing yards and at least three total TDs. He seems as if he’s fully recovered from his ailing ribs earlier in the season and, after some recent struggles, look for Newton to have a major bounce-back game. He will need one if he has any hopes of leading his team to victory.

Roje Smith is a Fantasy Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RoKnowsDFS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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