The Carolina Panthers aren’t exactly a common opponent for the Packers, but Green Bay will be facing a defensive style that it’s quite familiar with.
Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero interviewed for the Packers’ defensive coordinator opening nearly three years ago when Matt LaFleur ultimately hired Joe Barry. In Carolina, Evero runs a version of the Vic Fangio-style defense that Barry uses and that Jordan Love and the offense face in practice.
“They do a lot of similar things,” said Jordan Love about the Panthers’ defense. “A similar style defense. There’s a couple different mix-ups, but I think they’re a good defense. I think they’re sticky on the back end. They’ve got a really good front. I think it’ll be good.”
On the year, Carolina is allowing 24.9 points per game, which ranks 29th this season–although, in part, that’s a product of a lack of complementary football, with the Panthers’ offense statistically being one of the worst in football and putting their defense in some difficult situations.
In a vacuum, the Panthers are allowing 4.0 yards per rush this season, ranking 11th, along with just 6.1 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 10th. Carolina has done well at getting off the field on third downs, but where they’ve struggled is in the red zone, allowing a touchdown 71 percent of the time, as well as at generating pressure on the quarterback, ranking last in sacks and 31st in pressure rate.
“With Carolina,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus, “it’s win our one-on-one battles. We know what they are going to do. We know what they are going to line up as. They’ll have a wrinkle or two, but just like I talked to these guys today, we’ve got to challenge these guys. It’s going to be one-on-one the majority of the game, and we’ve got to win them.”
No NFL defense, even those from the same coaching tree, is exactly the same. Each defensive play-caller will put his own flavor on it–not to mention that Evero is aware of the overlap in schemes and may try to throw some different looks at Green Bay. That’s all part of the in-game chess match, as LaFleur often refers to.
But with that said, the familiarity of going up against a similar style defense to the one that the Packers have faced since OTAs should allow LaFleur, from a game plan and play-calling standpoint, to really attack the weak points of this Carolina unit.
For Love and his skill-position players, having an idea of how the Panthers’ defenders will be positioned and react in certain situations or from varying defensive alignments can put the offense in advantageous situations.
“We’ve got a lot of banked reps against our defense, obviously,” added Love, “and that all helps. We did a good amount of reps against our defense in the reps today. Just going against a familiar defense always helps.”
If knowing how to respond to a defensive look is step one, then step two is executing. This, of course, is still an NFL defense that gets paid to make plays as well, and one that ranks in the top half of the league against both the run and the pass. But where there is familiarity, there is often comfort, and when there’s comfort, success is usually close by.
“Bouncing back after two losses,” added Love, “I definitely don’t think we are going to be underestimating anybody. I think we are coming out Sunday with our best foot forward. But I think the stretch of games we had, losing two tough ones, we are ready to bounce back, and definitely not taking this game for granted.”
