Preseason Recap

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Well the Panthers have looked good this preseason. They are 3-0 with the Eagles left. Now, we all know preseason means nothing, but we are going to take a look at what this team has done so far. And we are going to take a look at the rookies and some players that have stood out.

Cam Newton hasn't played very much but he has been very consistent when he's been in. He's 14-19 for 232 yards and 2 TDS, 0 INTS. The big story is journeyman QB, Tyler Bray. He has looked quite good this preseason. We all know it's been against 2s and 3s, but he has been impressive. He is 34-57 for 536 yards, 6 TDS, and only 1 INT. And he has firmly secured the backup QB spot.

Since the passing game has been steady, it has given us a good look at the revamped WR Corp. With Kelvin Benjamin moving on in free agency, the Panthers had to bring in some new pieces to make up for his absence. The Panthers picked up Jermaine Kearse and JJ Nelson in free agency and drafted Christian Kirk in the 1st round. All 3 have been impressive so far. The 3 have combined for 14 catches for 266 yards, and 3 TDS. Kirk has 2 of those TDS and the rookie has looked explosive. He's averaging 27 ypr and 13 rac. Another player having a nice preseason is 2nd year pro Travis Rudolph. He was having a decent start to his career last season until he was injured. Rudolph has 8 catches for 107 yards and 2 TDS. If the passing game can make some strides this year, it should definitely help the running game and Leonard Fournette. Fournette hasn't played much so far. He only has 14 carries, but he's averaging 8.9 ypc and has 1 TD.

On the defensive side of things, the Panthers are looking to be better at stopping the run. So far so good. They have only given up 68 yards per game on the ground. The team has a brand new front 4, with the exception of Kawann Short. They brought in Some veterans and rookies to this D-Line. The biggest surprise is DT Nazair Jones from North Carolina. The 2nd round pick has 15 tks, 2 TFL, and 2.5 sks. He has definitely played his way into a bigger role this year. With a rotation of Short, Jones, and former Seattle DT Brandon Mebane, the DT position looks much stronger than last year.

If the Defense can stop the run and force turnovers like they did last season, they could be one of the leagues best. And if the defense turns things around and the offense continues to play well, the Panthers could be one of the top teams in the league. But they play in an extremely tough division. So we will see. The Panthers start the regular season on the road, against the former Heisman winner, Lamar Jackson and his new look Ravens. That game will be a tough game to start with. The Ravens offense looks scary good. With former Panther, Kelvin Benjamin, Jackson, and Leveon Bell, the Ravens look to have one of the best offenses in the league. This will be a measuring stick type of game. And we will see how good, or bad, this defense and team is.
 
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