This is perhaps the toughest offensive preview to write for this entire season. For the most part, second, third, and fourth string guys will be playing a majority of the game. Guys who will likely not be on the team will be playing most of Thursday night's game, for both the Panthers offense and Steelers defense. For the Panthers, it could be an interesting game, at least for the preseason. QB Joe Webb will likely be playing the entirety of the game, which is an oddity in the final preseason game. Precipitated by a rib injury to Cam Newton, Derek Anderson expecting a new child to be born any day now (for which we at CSR wish him and his family the best), and Matt Blanchard recently placed on IR, the Panthers are down to Webb.
That isn't all bad though, considering Webb has played extremely well in this preseason, enough so to possibly warrant a roster spot. There will still be some battles to keep an eye on, despite the stigma of it being a boring preseason game. With that, let's try to take a look at the Panthers offense for this game.
Panthers Passing Offense vs. Steelers Passing Defense
As I said, this will be a tough preview to write, simply due to the fact that a lot of the guys on the field for this one are people who will probably not see the field again all season. So let's focus on a few select players whose performance in this game could mean the difference between a roster spot and thumbing a ride for another town. Joe Webb is one of those guys. Now, if we had anyone else other than Derek Anderson on the roster, Webb would likely have solidified the backup job by now. After Cam Newton's recent rib injury however, Webb might have a spot after all. If he can play the entire game Thursday relatively mistake free as he has been so far, the team will be hard pressed to find someway to keep him on the roster.
Tavarres King and Brenton Bersin seem to have sewed up rosters spots for the both of them after the massive amount of cuts made at the WR position this week. It wouldn't hurt either of them however to show up well in this game to let the coaches know they made the right decision. The both of them seemed to have developed good chemistry with Webb, and seeing as this is the final matchup of the preseason, will likely get a majority of the snaps for the game.
Normally the offensive line would be previewed as well with some analysis, however most of the backups will be performing for this one. They haven't looked good to say the least, and that is concerning. Depth on the OL is one of the most important things a team needs if they want to be successful in the NFL, and the Panthers don't seem to have it at the moment. Chris Scott, Fernando Velasco, and others have not shown much reliability so far. It would be nice to see something, any kind of improvement from this unit against the Steelers. Even if it is against their backups.
Panthers Running Offense vs. Steelers Rushing Defense
Finally we come to the running backs in Fozzy Whittaker and Darrin Reaves. Whittaker has had a good preseason, although you wouldn't know it by how he performed last week against the New England Patriots. Reaves on the other hand hasn't played since the Buffalo Bills game nearly three weeks ago, nursing a lingering injury that has sidelined him. In reality, they are the only position battle on offense that hasn't really been settled yet.
It would appear though, that Whittaker has the upper hand on Reaves, simply because he has seen the field more. Unless Reaves, who if healthy will likely split a majority of the carries with Whittaker, blows the team away Thursday, it is hard to see him getting a spot on the final 53.
Overall Outlook
This game will likely be a bit of a snooze fest. Watching a bunch of guys whose names you don't and won't know play isn't all that appealing to watch. There are still a few position battles to keep and eye on and seeing what Webb can do for an entire 60 minutes might be a bit captivating. The only real purpose this game serves is showing who belongs as depth players. The main thing we should see on offense is who we have on the offensive line. If the Panthers should suffer an injury there (knock on wood), we need to have backups who can serve in a pinch. If we don't see some positives from that group tonight, we better hope and pray the line holds up over the season.