PLAYER NOTES
–RB Christian McCaffrey ranks second in the NFL with 90.3 rushing yards per game. Plus, with 428 yards from scrimmage, it’s the second-most in franchise history through the first three games of a season.
–DE Efe Obada has gained quite a bit of attention for his background since the last game, when he recorded an interception, a sack, a deflected pass and two quarterback hurries in just 19 snaps of his NFL debut against the Cincinnati Bengals. That landed him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor. Obada became the first player from the NFL International Pathway Program to make an active roster.
–P Michael Palardy has been so solid that he was granted a three-year contract extension. He would have been a free agent at the end of the season. This season, Palardy has a net average of 42.7 yards per attempt, a rate that’s on track to break his franchise record from last season.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DE Mario Addison. He has been a mainstay with the Panthers in recent seasons, and has the fifth-most sacks in franchise history. He was signed to a contract extension in February 2017 with Dave Gettleman as general manager. Gettleman is now in that role with this week’s opponent, the New York Giants. After a career-high 11 sacks last season, Addison has notched 2.5 sacks so far this season.
GAME PLAN: The Panthers can keep opponents guessing about their use of running back Christian McCaffrey and that should be a big boost. Two games ago, he was a go-to player in the passing attack and then he turned into a major rushing threat in the next game. In three previous games against the Giants, quarterback Cam Newton has accounted for 10 touchdowns (eight passing, two rushing).
On defense, the Panthers want to force Giants quarterback Eli Manning into mistakes. While he hasn’t been overly productive with only four touchdown passes this season, Manning also has tossed only one interception. The Panther should see an opportunity to overpower the Giants at times along the line of scrimmage.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Panthers LBs vs. Giants RB Saquon Barkley. The Panthers will want to keep tabs on the New York rushing attack, particularly with the hype that Barkley brings. By doing so, it will put more pressure on New York’s passing attack. LB Luke Kuechly often rises to the occasion. It’s also the final Carolina game without suspended LB Thomas Davis, so it’s another chance for LB David Mayo to prove himself. Barkley has been used to the tune of more than 13 carries per game and the rookie, who’s also adept at catching passes out of the backfield, could be on the verge of a big game after he was limited to 44 rushing yards last week against New Orleans.
–Panthers CBs Donte Jackson andJames Bradberry vs. Giants WRs. The young Panthers cornerbacks have a lot going on, particularly as they break in new S Eric Reid in the secondary. There’s still the tendency for teams to want to test the cornerbacks, though Jackson has answered the test quite well for the most part early in his rookie season. WR Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants won’t have now-former Panthers CB Josh Norman to tangle with, but he might be looking for other targets in the defensive backfield. If nothing else, Beckham can create a distraction and he’ll also be anxious for his first touchdown catch of the season. The Giants’ receiving group includes backup WR Russell Shepard, who played last season for the Panthers.
