PLAYER NOTES
–WR D.J. Moore’s first NFL catch also turned into his first touchdown as a pro. He completed a 51-yard scoring play against Atlanta. It was the longest touchdown play for the Panthers since 2006.
–LB Luke Kuechly will move into second place by himself in franchise tackles with his next stop, according to team information. With 954 tackles, Kuechly is tied with Mike Minter. Only LB Thomas Davis has more (1,174).
–RB Christian McCaffrey tied former WR Steve Smith’s franchise record with 14 receptions against Atlanta. That contributed to Carolina’s 20 passing first downs, also matching a record. McCaffrey’s 102 receiving yards was one more than his previous best total last year in his rookie season.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: LB Luke Kuechly. He’s fired up on most game days and this one could mean even more for him because the Bengals are his hometown team. The Panthers didn’t play well defensively in a 2014 game at Cincinnati and that certainly irked Kuechly. And with some shoddy defense in the loss to Atlanta last week, Kuechly often leads the charge after some tough times.
GAME PLAN: The Panthers would like to see increased production from sources other than quarterback Cam Newton. Spreading out the key plays is bound to be a boost. It’s not clear that there will be a lot coming from the tight end position, so that means it’s incumbent for the receivers to be more involved to help out running back Christian McCaffrey.
The Panthers might try to pressure Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton into early tough decision to get him out of his comfort zone. He’s coming off a big game, so if the Panthers can put enough pressure on Dalton from the base defense there could be some stunts used to break through and create some havoc. They can’t afford to sit back and be picked apart.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Panthers RBs vs. Bengals rush defense. The Panthers, primarily with a big boost from QB Cam Newton, lead the NFL with 5.4 yards per rushing attempt. Newton checks in at 5.6 yards per rush. This is one of the main vehicles of the offense. But the Bengals have been stingy in rush defense, allowing 3.2 yards per attempt to sit second in the league through two weeks.
–Panthers CB Donte Jackson vs. Bengals QB Andy Dalton. Jackson is going to get picked on at times as a rookie and so he needs to show he’s up to the task. He pulled in his first career interception in his second game, so that’s one way to gain attention. But he also was vulnerable at times in coverage and that’s something Dalton is bound to try to exploit. Dalton has completed 64.3 percent of his passes to go with six touchdown throws across the first two games. Those tosses included WR A.J. Green’s three touchdown receptions last week against Baltimore.
