In spite of the fact the Panthers won the NFC South, secured the #2 seed in the NFC and finished the season 12-4 it seems a lot of Panthers fans are concerned about the state of the defense going into the playoffs. I have to admit there seems to be some merit to it on the surface given the Saints put up 21 points in the 4^th quarter. So I decided to make the Panthers 4^th quarter performance against the Saints a focus of this film review post. Before I get into it though remember the Saints were the #1 scoring offense in the NFL, averaging 28 points a game. The Panthers allowed 31 to them, not much more than their average.

So here's a review of the Panthers defensive performance followed by other game notes I gathered from watching this game a 2^nd and 3^rd time.

• On the Saints first scoring drive that started in the 3^rd quarter the Panthers forced two 3^rd down and short scenario's. In both cases the Saints got the first down running the ball up the middle via Deuce McAlister. The second one was from the shotgun formation. We shouldn't have been surprised given the injury situation on the d-line that the Saints were able to run the ball occasionally when we were playing back for the pass. Saints WR Robert Meachum scored on a classic Sean Payton rub play where he brought Meachum across the field in motion. CB Richard Marshall followed him in man coverage but got rubbed by the other WR as soon as the pass was away. It was close to being an illegal screen if that can be called on a play behind the line of scrimmage (not sure). 

Keep reading after the fold...

•  On the Panthers ensuing possession the offense drove over 30 yards but stopped just short of FG range. The problem was the Saints bottled up the running plays and given RT Jeff Otah and RG Geoff Hangartner were out it should also not be a surprise. Otah went out of the game midway through the 3^rd quarter and the Panthers running game seemed to go with him.
• On the Saints ensuing drive the Panther D forced four 3^rd downs and had the last one stopped yet the saints went for it on 4^th and 2 from the 9 yd line. Saints WR Lance Moore ran the drag play and would have been stopped had not Marshall blew the tackle. Moore may have still gotten the 1^st down but he would not have scored. This is the drive that was most concerning because Brees threw mostly from the shotgun as his receivers were running crisp routes. They were unstoppable on this drive as his passes were on the money and essentially indefensible in my view. The Panthers blitzed plenty but just couldn't get much pressure given how quickly the passes were coming out.
• The Panthers next drive was quickly dismantled by LB Scott Shanle's sack of Delhomme. This was simply a blocking assignment error by TE Jeff King who failed to step out and pick the blitzing LB up. P Jason Baker then shanked the punt giving the Saints a very short field for their go-ahead score.
• The Saints scored the go ahead TD in three plays with the key being a 26 yard gain down the left sideline to Colston. Lucas was defending but it was a quick fly pattern that was perfectly placed over the CB where only Colston could get it. Just a beautiful pass. Moore then scored on very nice seam route to the middle of the end zone. He split the defenders and went up high for the catch. Another very nice play that was designed for the type of zone we were playing.

Summary and Other Game Notes:

• The defense played well for three quarters and held the #1 offense to 10 points in that time. Eventually the Saints offense got on track even though the Panthers blitzed more and ran more man coverage. The Saints offense has been running those plays all season and it showed.
• The Panthers piecemeal defensive line played well for 3 quarters but then ran out gas when the Saints ran from the shotgun.
• For those fans giving DE Julius Peppers crap for not making a big play on those final drives they need to wake up. He stopped two drives himself in the first half, one where he tipped away a pass and another with the sack. Peppers was constantly in the backfield and was abusing LT Jamaal Brown with an assortment of bull rushes and speed moves. The problem was the Saints countered with quick passes to the sideline or seam routes.
• I also disagree with some the crap thrown at Ken Lucas. No CB in the league can stop a perfectly placed sideline pass over the defender to a tall receiver like Colston. Lucas plays conservative, preferring to ensure he can make the tackle before going for the ball. This is something FS Charles Godfrey has still to learn. In the first half he went for the ball instead of the tackle against Colston allowing him to score. Godfrey has made way more mistakes this season than has Lucas.
  
• Speaking of Godfrey I will say he defended the fleaflicker very well in the first half, sticking with his man and turning his head to get a bead on the ball. He was then able to effectively shield the WR from the catch.Godfrey has the speed and ability to be an excellent FS. He just needs to work on his decision-making.
  
• RT Jeff Otah is a key to the running game as he just blows people off the line. Getting him back is going to be vital to the Panthers playoff hopes. I'm going to even venture that Otah could become the Panthers best Tackle in team history based on his play in his rookie season.The guy is truly a 'road-grader' if there ever was one.
  
• WR Steve Smith has to be the best WR in the league at making adjustments with his body while in the air. He is an expert at catching the ball with his body rather than relying strictly on his hands which he put on showcase in both Saints games. Both of his long catches in this game were of the 'basket' type of catch.
  
• Speaking of Smith, anyone else surprised when he fielded a punt in the 3rd quarter? Here's what John Fox had to say about that:

On Steve Smith returning a punt in the third quarter: I think he's a guy that's been pretty adequate at that position.  As we get into this next season (the playoffs), that may or may not be something we look at.  We didn't want the playoffs to be the first time he did it.  He's practiced it in practice, but there's nothing like being out there in a game, and we wanted to get a look at that in a game situation.

So it seems we can expect more of it in the playoffs. Getting more touches for your 'play maker'? Brilliant! Mark Jones has done an adequate job (#10 in the league with 10 or more returns) but he does seem better suited for kick returns and is no threat to run one back. My venture is that he tends to call too many fair catches. It's one and done at this point so no reason to hold back any of your weapons.

• In my cross-post with the Saints blogger he said LB Jonathan Vilma is the Saints best defender. If that's the case no wonder their defense is so suspect. I saw several missed tackles by Vilma including the 5 man pile Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart broke out of for a big gain. Tackling is not the Saints specialty.
• On a final note I can't emphasize enough how much I think DeAngelo Williams is the schizzle, potentially the best RB in Panther history and the league MVP. Sure the o-line deserves credit for opening the holes but on many of his runs in this game there was no hole. Williams instead quickly bounced it outside and used his stiff arm to ward off the initial tackler. For those rival fans that think Williams is a one year flash they will be sorely mistaken. This kid is going to be good for several years to come.

That's it my loyal readers. I hope you enjoyed this one as I stayed up way too late to get it done. Don't fret about me though, it was a abor of love!

Peace out and Happy New Year and be sure to pull for my beloved Yellow Jackets tonight as they take on LSU!