Week 3: Panthers Offensive vs Defensive Matchups

I decided to log onto NFL.com today to see the league's view on the Monday Night matchup. Right on the front page of the game summery you have this message in all caps.

PANTHERS IN DESPERATION MODE

Will Carolina be able to avoid an 0-3 start and turn things around with Dallas coming to town Monday night? -NFL.Com

That pretty much sums up the opinion of most of Charlotte. The Panthers in desperation mode. This Monday Night, the Dallas Cowboys come into the football game as nine point favorites to win the game. They lead the NFL in rushing yards, and have the 3rd best offense overall according to points per game.

Luckily for us, the Dallas Cowboys are also a one sided team. As strong as they are on offense and in the running game, on the other side of the football their defense is just plain horrible, especially against the passing game. The Boys secondary is going to have to work extra hard in order to contain Steve Smith when they gave up big days against Mario Manningham and the USC Steve Smith of the Giants game last Sunday Night. If the Carolina Panthers O-Line plays like the O-line of 2008, expect the Panthers to get the ball to Smith early and often.

Deangelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart also figure to have a big day. For proof of this, you need to look no further than the Boys Week 1 matchup against a rebuilding team in the Bucs. Cadillac William managed an amazing 7.5 YPR and a TD, while Derrick Ward added 62 yards and another TD during his 12 carries, a 5.2 average. If the bloody Bucs can run the ball this effectively against the Boys without any real QB help, the Panthers could stand to pile up a score of their own with no problem at all.

The key to the game will probably be our defense. The Panthers cannot score on every single drive. Jake Delhomme will give you a good game, but he's no Peytan Manning. So our defense will need to step up against the run and put pressure on Tony Romo on 3rd down in order to get our offense back on the field and let our playmakers do their dirty work. If we these long six and eight minute drives like we did against the Falcons, it will make it hard for our explosive offense to keep up.

And now, time for the key matchups of the game.

Steve Smith vs Terence Newman/Mike Jenkins

Both of these corners are expected to have a hell of a day trying to contain Steve Smith, the star of the Panthers passing game. Mike Jenkins is a second year player from South Florida with a good pair of wheels, and seems like the probable matchup against Smith. Smith will be double teamed with him and a safety until the Panthers can get their running game going. If I'm the Cowboys fan going into this game, my worst nightmare is having my defense fall apart at the seams because of a long pass from Jake to Smitty for a TD. Because of double teams, Jake should feed the ball to Moose and Moore and keep an sneaky eye on Smitty, waiting for him to burst out wide open down the field.

Deangelo Williams vs Boys 2nd level

The Cowboys defense is designed to bring pressure on the QB and bring it to him

fast. At the same time though, while all those linebackers are blitzing a RB can occasionally sneak his way through the chaos and break free for a TD. Right now, it seems like no one really knows about Williams. It's like he slipped off the radar, just like the Panthers themselves. The Cowboys better be careful. When the Cowboys blitz, they're left wide open to a big run if the O-Line holds their ground. The middle of the field is left completely open, sometimes only a safety or two sitting back there just in case. It only takes one mistake. One mistake. It should be an interesting matchup to watch.

Jordan Gross vs Demarcus Ware

Deangelo Williams always seems to have the most success when he runs off of the left tackle. So Jordan Gross will often have to make it to the second level and try to take down Ware while the LG takes down the DE. The Pro-Bowler will be a very mobile tackle this week, and I believe he will have to be a constant factor downfield for Williams to be able to run the ball effectively.

That's really all I have to talk about this Saturday evening. Like I said, the defense is the key to this game. We will need to stop the run in order to win this game. Get the job done Fox.