Can the Pack’s D turn Bryce Young into Steve Young?
If there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that the Pack’s defense will have to decide on Sunday if it’s learned its lesson from this week or if it’s lost it for good.
It’s been said before, but I’m going to say it again: I’m surprised LaFleur hasn’t removed Joe Barry from his duties. It’s because the unit’s defensive issues appear to stem from a lack of communication, which is what coaches are supposed to do to get the most out of their units. Barry had a private meeting with several defensive starters to discuss their concerns. We don’t know who attended the meeting (only Quay Walker spoke publicly about it), but we do know Kenny Clark wasn’t there (which is odd since Clark is the unit’s veteran leader).
And then there’s the Jaire Alexander saga. The Packers are playing in Alexander’s hometown, so you’d think he’d want to be there. He’s listed as questionable, but who knows if he’ll be? He’s missed his seventh game in a row with an injury that never put him on injured reserve, and he’s been practicing for the past few weeks. If he’s not, I’d be surprised to see him for the remainder of the year.
Campbell has been ruled out for Sunday after the Packers pulled him from practice following his social media outburst. After a dismal showing last week that left critics scratching their heads, he said he was playing hurt to make the team better. He hasn’t taken kindly to critics ripping him for playing hurt when he could have just as easily been benched. Campbell has played well for the Pack and if he can’t be himself, then he needs to tell his coaches. That tape he posted last week is a sight to behold.
The Packers defense is a soap opera. The Carolina Panthers offense presents a golden opportunity. There’s no Mike Evans to freak out over, and there’s no wizard at quarterback to terrorize you with arm and leg. There’s also no great rushing attack prepared to overwhelm the Pack’s porous run defense.
The Panthers are one of the worst teams in the league this year, even though they won their second game of the season over the Falcons last week in a 9-7 drubbing in a rainstorm in which they never scored a TD. The Panthers will try to attack with Chuba Hubbard, their running back, who has been getting nearly 25 touches per game, but he’s nothing special. Carolina’s passing game is one of the humdrumest in the NFL. Adam Thielen has had a slow start, and the Vikings haven’t been able to get consistent production out of DJ Chark or newcomer Jonathan Mingo. The Panthers’ poor offensive line, which can’t pass block for their young quarterback, who really needs it, has stymied the offense. The Vikings’ quarterback, Bryce Young, has been at least three times this year in every game except two, and he’s been running for his life as he tries to avoid getting hit. Young is under pressure because he was drafted ahead of his older brother, C.J., and he knows that the deal that brings him to Carolina sends next year’s top pick to Chicago.
When Tepper fired Reich after a dismal 1-11 start, he fired a coach who had worked closely with Young since his arrival. It simply isn’t a good situation for the two-time Heisman Trophy winner. Young drove the Panthers on one of their long drives last week, culminating in a game-tying field goal, but it’s not as if they’re jumping up and down when he crosses midfield.
If Barry continues to hold his team’s interest, they should be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday. On the offensive side of the ball, there’s some question mark over Jayden Reed’s availability, and there’s a question mark over Dontay Vonta-Lodge’s availability as well. The running back room, however, is getting healthier, with Aaron Jones carrying no injury designation and the Pack set to welcome back AJ Dillon. Carolina is good against the run, and shut down Atlanta last week, but Aaron Jones should be the star of the show, assuming LaFleur hasn’t forgotten about him. The Panthers’ top two pass-rushers (Brian Burnes, 30 QB pressures) returned to practice on Friday after a two-week layoff due to illness, and they’ll need to account for Jones. As a team, Carolina has only 20 sacks, which ranks last in the NFL, and it’s defense has only 11 takeaways, which ranks last. A few weeks ago, the Panthers had their best corner (Jaycee Horn), but they’ve since lost him to a knee injury.
The Packer faithful should be in full force in Charlotte, and many Panthers fans will be looking ahead to next season with a new coach. The weather should be much better than last week, when torrential rains made it nearly impossible for either offense to get going.
I think the Panthers will be a one-touchdown game for most of the afternoon, and the Pack will score late to close it out. I prefer to think that the defense will be more like the defense we saw last November; the defense that held Herbert, Goff and Mahomes at bay. If, on the other hand, they make a Steve Young look like a Steve Young, then we might just make it to 2023.
