Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers: How Detroit Can Pressure Panthers QBs
The Detroit Lions defense looked great in friendly confines against the bumbling New York Giants. A good first step indeed, but the first road trip presents the challenge of a confident Carolina Panthers team.
The Panthers returned only one starter from an offensive line that was the focal point of last year's offense. Despite the turnover, second-stringer-turned-starter Derek Anderson finished the game with a clean jersey.
Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were left wondering how a quarterback that hadn't had any meaningful playing time since 2010 had gotten the best of them.
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The answer is they didn't provide any pressure.
It looks like Cam Newton is good to go this week, but that doesn't change the strategy. In fact, his sore ribs only heighten the importance of popping the personable quarterback.
Tampa couldn't do that last week. Let's take a look at what Detroit can learn from the Bucs' failure.
Contain the Run
You don't need me to explain why stopping the run is smart, but I do want to be clear as to how much Carolina relies on the run to set up the rest of the offense.
The Panthers battled their way to 113 yards on 33 rushing attempts. A 3.0-yard average isn't world class, but Carolina isn't trying to avoid throwing the ball. In fact, the Panthers are looking to set up the pass.
As you can tell, Carolina loves the play-action pass, and that won't change depending on who is under center. Newton had the sixth-most attempts utilizing the misleading tactic in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Carolina will undoubtedly rely on the play-action even if they aren't successful running the ball. However, if Detroit can drop that average a bit, it'll force Carolina into longer throwing situations, and Detroit can afford to ignore the fake.
Keep Him Contained with a Wide Rush
A cornerback who comes up to support the run has a duty to direct the ball-carrier back towards the heart of the defense. This assignment is a simple example of what the Lions should be trying to accomplish on Sunday.
The following play will break down the importance of keeping Anderson or Newton from getting outside.
Here, the left defensive end is going to come with a strong bull rush. While he's effective at pushing his tackle into the pocket, it makes for an easy solution for Anderson.
As you can see, he recognizes where the pressure is, and there's no thought process involved. Crashing a pocket from the outside requires a defensive end to get up the field to effectively contain and hurry a veteran quarterback.
Anderson easily slips away as the defensive end is left grasping air. Even if George Johnson or Ziggy Ansah can catch him before he gains eight yards, there's virtually no chance of effectively stopping the play.
Yes, putting pressure on the quarterback is a good idea. However, Newton is too dangerous of a runner. The most important task will be to hit him enough to make him think about those ribs. And that's much easier when he's being funneled inside.
Expose the Guard
Tampa's front line is similar to Detroit's in the sense that it has a dominant defensive tackle in Gerald McCoy. He and Ndamukong Suh both finished 1 and 2, respectively, in the defensive tackle rankings at Pro Football Focus for 2013.
That's very good news for Detroit. Not so much for Carolina.
The Panthers' reworked offensive line rotates three guards. Fernando Velasco and Amini Silatolu saw the majority of the snaps against Tampa Bay and graded out at negative-2.3. Rookie Trai Turner, who has been hampered with a groin injury, saw a third of the snaps but kept the same pace (negative-0.8).
And each was bullied throughout the game.
Here, McCoy is lined up across from Velasco. This is more than a minor mismatch.
McCoy's first step jumps out at you on tape. He's hitting Velasco before the guard knows the ball has been set, let alone snapped.
And the advantage doesn't end there. McCoy puts Valesco on skates and is four yards deep while the quarterback is scrambling to get rid of a screen pass.
Normally, a lineman isn't overly worried about driving off the ball or even pass protecting on a screen. I watched this play multiple times and everything indicates (as he tried on other plays) that Valesco is trying to at least slow down McCoy.
It won't matter on what side the Panthers try to hide Valesco. None of his teammates fared much better in Week 1, and against Detroit the other side of the center is only going to reveal either the ultra-quick Nick Fairley or strongman C.J. Mosley.
Rush More than Four
The only tape we have on Carolina's hodgepodge line is the Tampa game. Unfortunately, the Bucs don't make for a great comparison study because head coach Lovie Smith is a Tampa-2 disciple.
In short, his defense leans heavily on the front four for pressure and tries to keep everything in front of the defensive backs. That approach failed miserably against the Panthers.
In all, I charted a total of four blitzes on passing downs, which was generous considering the pass-rushing defender wouldn't always commit through the throw. This allowed check-down Anderson to slowly chug his way down the field by finding the holes in the zone while under very little duress.
Detroit must exploit the overmatched guards by sending in a 'backer behind the ever-penetrating combo of Suh and Fairley.
Here's a prime example of how Detroit could execute everything encompassed in this article.
The Lions came out in a basic defense here that later springs a dramatic twist. Just before the snap, linebackers Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy advance toward the line.
Then, on their way to the holes created by the defensive tackles, the linebackers stunt, throwing another curveball at the offensive line at a critical moment.
Both 'backers make it through their respective gaps, and the surprising stunt occurring on both sides of the center ensure that at least one of them can exploit an overwhelmed guard.
If Detroit can create the type of pressure the front seven is capable of—while sniffing out the screen—it'll force the offense out of its comfort zone. The pop pass to Greg Olsen will be Detroit's main menace, but a consistent pass rush will eventually lower the quarterback's eyes.
Whoever ends up as Carolina's quarterback, Detroit needs to attack. The result will either be a sore Newton or a flustered Anderson, who won't have a comfy pocket to pass from this week. And a chaotic environment will give him flashbacks of his last year in Cleveland.
Detroit's secondary played admirably in Week 1 despite a rash of injuries. The front seven needs to give them some time to heal by cleaning Cam's clock.
That's the road map on defense to a Detroit victory.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
All grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus and require a subscription.
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