What We Learned About the Carolina Panthers in Week 4

Things keep getting better for the Carolina Panthers defense

Throughout the first couple weeks of the season, the biggest question mark surrounding the Carolina Panthers was the production of the defensive front seven or lack thereof.

The Panthers were the only team in the NFL to not register a single sack in the first two weeks of the season and even the pressure was for the most part non-existent. However, that has changed in the last two weeks and it has resulted in two wins. 

Carolina only sacked Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray one time, but they were in his face all day long. Rookies Yetur Gross-Matos and Derrick Brown played a big part in that pressure and it kept Murray contained in the pocket for much of the afternoon. Second year defensive end Brian Burns hasn't been picking up sacks left and right, but he is making his presence felt in the pocket and he finished this past game with three QB hits.

Not only has there been an improvement in the team's pass rush, but also in stopping the run. In the first three games, Carolina had a heck of a time trying to slow down Josh Jacobs, Leonard Fournette, and Austin Ekeler both on the ground and in the passing game. This week, defensive coordinator Phil Snow put together a solid gameplan and essentially took Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake out of the game. Drake finished the day with only 35 yards on 13 carries and did not record a single catch on the day. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but what we have seen in the last two weeks is certainly a positive sign.

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