Only for Guild Members » Lost in all the hullabaloo over 4th and 1 punts

Lost in all the hullabaloo over 4th and 1 punts and rookie fumbles was the fact that Sunday’s game in Washington was the best defensive performance the Carolina Panthers have put forth since Week 1. Adrian Peterson was able to pick up a few first downs with his legs Carolina Panthers T-Shirt , but the Panthers counterbalanced that by stifling Washington’s aerial attack. The Panthers held their opposition to just 4.3 yards per play and kept them out of the end zone for the final 48 minutes of the game. There were some warts, like the third down defense, but it was a strong showing overall for a group that ad been the team’s Achilles heel in recent weeks. They’ll need to carry that upward momentum into Philadelphia where they’ll face an Eagles team that’s much bigger threat than their most recent opponent. The Eagles enter the week flying high after a Thursday night dismantling of a Giants team that gave the Panthers all they could handle. It looked like a coming out party for an Eagles offense that has thus far failed to recapture the offensive magic that helped carry them to a Super Bowl victory last season. The lack of success to this point in the season is not a reason to take this Eagles offense lightly. Most of the same cast has returned from last season. Running backs LaGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi are gone, as well as current Panther Torrey Smith Carolina Panthers Hats , but the most important pieces are still there. Carson Wentz is rounding back into form and playing like his old self. Alshon Jeffery is coming off a two touchdown performance in his third game back from shoulder surgery. Zach Ertz is a nightmare. The list goes on. The Panthers defense needs to make big impact if the team is going to fly back to Charlotte with a 4-2 record. Philadelphia has a strong defense in its own right, so asking the offense to carry the load like they did against the Bengals and Giants might be asking too much. Here’s what the defense needs to do:Pressure and sack Carson Wentz. The Eagles have allowed 48 quarterback hits so far this season, the 4th most in the NFL. Wentz is a sack escape artist, much like Cam Newton Carolina Panthers Womens Hoodie , and its vital that the pass rush finish the job when they get into the backfield. The third year quarterback has only thrown one interception this season, and he’s throwing into tight windows less than almost any other quarterback in the league, so just getting in his face probably won’t be enough to make a splash impact. Lock down the intermediate area of the field in the passing game. This should come easy to a Panthers defense that prioritizes getting depth in their zones and keeping pass plays in front of them. Wentz’s best area of the field is between 10 and 20 yards downfield. He’s not an exceptional short passer, so some pressure could force him to air mail some short passes to open receivers. But he’ll tear teams apart on deep digs and post routes. The Panthers have to be ready to take those away. Don’t play for punts on 4th and short. The Eagles are again among the most aggressive teams in the league at going for it on 4th down. Stopping them for a five yard gain on 3rd and 7 is far from a sure bet to get the Eagles offense off the field. The defense needs to treat 3rd down as if it were 2nd down once the Eagles get anywhere near midfield. The Panthers defense is in for a tough test on Sunday. Last week they showed signs of being the strong unit many pegged them to be before the season. They need to build on that success and make their mark on the game if the Panthers want to knock the reigning Super Bowl champions to a sub-.500 record. It’s hard to get a read on the consensus pick for this game. The early print parlay cards have the Ravens +3. My on-line bookie site has the Panthers +2.5. The Linebacker is predicting a 25-19 win for the Ravens. The Linebacker is usually pretty good though they are rarely perfect any given weekend. I don’t usually play the hard copy parlay card but I couldn’t resist taking the Ravens +3. A one point win by the Panthers would be awesome! Last week I nailed my first two picks Womens Customized Carolina Panthers Jerseys , KC (-6) vs Bengals and Bills vs Colts (Under 43.5). But my third pick was denied by the Cowboys kicker and the swirling wind of RFK stadium. If he makes that field goal to tie the game then provided someone wins the over 41 was a winner. Dan Bailey would have made that kick you dumb asses!Here’s my other two picks to complete my three team parlay.I think the Eagles will be pissed about the loss to us last week and will hammer a disjointed Jaguars team. I think they win by seven or more so giving up 3.5 is a no brainer. I also think Washington is on a roll and will cover a single point in New York. So in both cases I’m going with the hot team. I also liked the Browns (+8) in Pittsburgh. I see the terrorist event being a big distraction for them unfortunately. My apologies if anyone finds my reasoning crass or insensitive. Honestly I liked the Browns and the under before any of that awful event was reported. The Browns seem to go into overtime every week. If the Browns should go into overtime again this week the eight points automatically covers. So I submitted a second card this week, taking the Browns and the same two picks above on the first card, minus the Panthers pick.So what are your thoughts Panthers fans?