Panthers Face 49ers on MNF
by Sharon Thorsland
The Panthers hit the prime time stage on Monday night, taking on the 49ers in San Francisco. It’s been a while since the Panthers were still “in the hunt” for the playoffs in late November. But they’re 6-5 and in the mix for the NFC South title or a wildcard berth, and know how much is riding on this game. “Anytime you play under the lights, it’s special,” said cornerback Jaycee Horn. “It is a bit opportunity but at the same time, for us it’s just go handle our business. We still have to go out there and execute.”
The 49ers are 7-4 on the season in spite of injuries to several key players and are also in the hunt for a playoff berth. They boast one of the hottest offenses in the league right now, led by star running back Christian McCaffrey. The former Panther is the Niner’s leading rusher and receiver, with over 1400 combined yards and 11 touchdowns. Slowing him down will be job number one. But the 49ers have several other weapons, including All-Pro tight end George Kittle and quarterback Brock Purdy, who returned last week after missing six games with a toe injury. Purdy directs an offense that is averaging over 254 yards through the air, that’s second in the NFL.
The 49ers defense is at the other end of the spectrum, thanks in large part to a pair of devastating injuries. All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa was lost for the season after tearing his ACL in week three, and All-Pro middle linebacker Fred Warner went down week six with a season-ending ankle injury. That has hurt their pass rush – the niners only have 12 sacks on the season, that’s dead last in the league. And their passing defense is 28th in the league allowing over 249 yards per game. They’ve got a young secondary, with just one player with more than two years’ experience. The 49ers are still managing to stop the run though – they’re 12th in the league allowing just 103 yards per game. They’ll face a Panthers offense that clearly wants to run the ball first behind running back Rico Dowdle. That hasn’t happened much the last two games as the Saints and the Falcons both managed to put the clamps on Dowdle and the run game. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young showed he’s more than capable of winning with the passing game after last week’s record-setting performance against the Falcons. With San Fran’s weakness in passing defense, this would be another great opportunity for Young and his young receivers to get the ball moving through the air.
With a full slate of NFC games to finish the season, and the playoffs still in the mix, the Panthers know how big this game is. “Over the next few weeks, every single one of these games is important to us,” said defensive tackle Derrick Brown. “We got all NFC the rest of the way, our division still left. We can’t afford to look forward; we just appreciate this opportunity as the next one.
Panthers Face 49ers on MNF was originally published on wbt.com
