Three Days Until Kickoff: Three Reasons to Worry vs. Panthers

The Green Bay Packers (10-3) are big favorites over the Carolina Panthers (4-9). Here are three reasons why things might not be so easy.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers range from 8.5- to 9-point favorites for Saturday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers. With a 10-3 record, the No. 1 seed within grasp and MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers leading the charge, the Packers are heavy favorites against the Panthers, who are 4-9 and once again will be without running back Christian McCaffrey.

Here are three reasons why this game might be more difficult than expected.

1. Anderson and Moore

Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is one of the most accurate passers in the league. That accuracy shows up on the deep ball. While he doesn’t go deep often – he is 19th with 42 passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield – he makes things happen when he does cut it loose. He is 11th with 20 deep completions and fifth in accuracy, according to Pro Football Focus.

With Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore, he’s got two guys who can get the ball. Entering the draft, Anderson ran his 40 in 4.36 seconds while Moore posted a 4.42. Moore, quietly, is fifth in the NFL with 10 catches of passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. While Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander has had a tremendous season, fellow corner Kevin King was fortunate to have not been burned on a couple of Matthew Stafford’s deep shots to Marvin Jones last week.

2. Taking One to the Chinn

Jeremy Chinn was awarded zero stars coming out of Fishers (Ind.) High School.

“I had three offers coming out of high school and no FBS offers coming out of high school,” he said at the Scouting Combine.

At Southern Illinois, he was a FCS All-American. With size (6-3, 221), speed (4.45 in the 40), athleticism (41-inch vertical) and production, Chinn emerged as one of the top safety prospects in this year’s draft. The Panthers moved up to select him in the second round, and they’ve been rewarded with a Rookie of the Year type of season.

Chinn’s excellence goes beyond his team-leading 94 tackles, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries that he’s taken back for touchdowns. The nephew of Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater is a position-less player tailor-made for today’s NFL. Listed as a starting linebacker for the Panthers, he’s played 299 snaps in the box, 188 at safety, 191 as a slot corner, 21 as an outside corner and even 74 snaps on the line, according to PFF. The only spot he hasn’t played is defensive tackle. That versatility is key. Packers coach Matt LaFleur likes to take advantage of the versatility of his offensive weapons. Chinn’s ability to play in the box and on the perimeter nullifies some of that.

“I always tell him, you're a rookie and all but, at the end of the day, you’re a leader on this team,” linebacker Tahir Whitehead said. “We all ask ourselves, are you playing with the same intent or the same tempo as 21’s playing? And then if the answer is no, then it’s like, ‘You’re shortchanging yourself. You're shortchanging the team, so turn it up.’”

3. Special Teams

This might as well be an evergreen note until coordinator Shawn Mennenga’s coverage units can consistently keep returners from breaking into the open field. There were a couple of positive signs last week at Detroit, with Randy Ramsey rocking Detroit’s Jamal Agnew on a kickoff return and JK Scott’s two punts not yielding any return yardage. But with a 31-21 lead and the game all but wrapped up, Agnew returned Mason Crosby’s kickoff 71 yards. If not for Crosby, Agnew might have gone the distance.

That’s six big plays against the Packers in a span of eight weeks. The Panthers have two quality returners, with former Pro Bowler Pharoh Cooper returning punts and Trenton Cannon handling kickoffs. Cannon, who has 4.4 speed, has a 98-yard runback on his resume. With the playoffs approaching, Green Bay’s coverage meltdowns are becoming more and more disconcerting.