Wacky things happen in DC when the Panthers visit, and Sunday will not be an exception. In fact, anyone looking for a Carolina blow-out could be surprised.
Yes, yes, Redskin QB Jason Campbell is just making his second start. But there is a problem with that. The Panthers like to sit back and try to confuse young QBs with lots of different “windows” to read. The assumption is that the QB will make mistakes, so there is no need to put pressure on the guy. (see Romo, Tony for how well this sometimes works.)
Conversely, when confronted with a proven, accurate drop-back passer like Mark Bulger, the Panthers max out on pressure. So there is every reason to believe that Carolina will not stick with the blitzing schemes which blanked Bulger and the Rams last week. Hope I’m wrong about that, but let’s find out.
I will say that unless the Panthers find a way to put Campbell on the ground four or five times, they will probably lose. The Redskins have a functional TE in Chris Cooley and decent TEs usually murder the Panthers’ slow safeties. The Redskins will be smart enough not to ask Campbell to make complicated reads, so if he has time, he’ll find Cooley.
Far from a blowout, this looks like a field goal game. Should the Panthers really smack the Skins around, that will truly bode well for a strong finish and the possibility of a home playoff game.
