The Carolina Panthers tasted their first win of the season last Sunday, showing some real strides against the Houston Texans in a 15-13 triumph. So, can they serve themselves up a second straight meal?
If so, here are four key matchups that’ll help them top the visiting Indianapolis Colts in Week 9:
Panthers QB Bryce Young vs. Colts DC Gus Bradley
We saw an elite performance from Young last week in his first win of the season, as he made multiple high-level throws at difficult angles and shredded the Houston defense. This week, it will be up to Bradley to try and slow down the quickly ascending No. 1 overall pick.
Bradley’s pass defense hasn’t been too tight, as the Colts have allowed the seventh-most yards per attempt (7.0) and the eighth-most passing yards per game (247.3). So, Young has a chance to make it two big performances in a row.
Panthers DL vs. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
In a pleasant surprise from last Sunday, the Carolina defense bucked their troubling trend and shut down the opposing ground game. The Panthers held the Texans to just 110 rushing yards on 30 carries (3.7 yards per attempt) and cut off a dimension of their offense.
That feat won’t be as easy to accomplish against Taylor and backfield partner Zach Moss, who are hauling one of the league’s top running attacks at the moment. If the Panthers can perform equally as well and make quarterback Gardner Minshew air the ball out, they stand a good chance of snagging back-to-back wins.
Panthers WR Adam Thielen vs. Colts DB Kenny Moore II
The 33-year-old Thielen has been a nice surprise on this Panthers offense, proving to be its most reliable pass catcher. This week, he should be seeing quite a bit of Moore—one of the very best nickel corners in the game.
With Thielen seeing a lot of his snaps inside the numbers, he will be matched up with Moore fairly often. If Carolina wants to keep their offensive attack moving, it will be up to the resurgent veteran to work his way open and give Young a bankable option to look towards.
Panthers interior OL vs. Colts DL DeForest Buckner
The middle of the Carolina trench will have their hands full with this wrecking ball. Buckner, now in his eighth season, is already up to 4.0 sacks and still has the capability to destroy a game.
Last week, we saw Calvin Throckmorton take the starting nod at left guard. And whether it’s him or rookie Chandler Zavala this time around, the Panthers will have to keep the former All-Pro out of Young’s face.
