Cleveland Browns vs. Carolina Panthers: Complete Week 16 Preview for Carolina
The Cleveland Browns (7-7) travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on the Carolina Panthers (5-8-1) this Sunday. Both teams are still in the playoff hunt and cannot afford another loss. The Panthers may have more riding on this game than the Browns, as a win keeps them in contention for the division heading into the final week of the season.
With that in mind, a Carolina win plus a New Orleans loss will set the stage for a Week 17 winner-take-all showdown between the Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
But first, the Panthers must handle the Browns.
This game could feature a battle between two former Heisman-winning quarterbacks with Johnny Manziel starting for Cleveland and Cam Newton starting for Carolina. The latter's game-day status won't be official until Friday afternoon, but early reports have him looking good in practice.
Additionally, this game will feature two interesting trends regarding both teams. For the Browns, each game played against NFC South opponents has resulted in a victory. The Panthers have yet to win a game against foes from the AFC North, going 0-2-1 on the year.
Carolina will try to win three in a row for the first time this season, riding a late surge of momentum that has been typical of the Panthers during Ron Rivera's tenure as coach. The last time the Panthers strung together three consecutive wins was last year when they won three in a row to close out 2013.
A similar finish would be welcomed by the organization and its fans.
Here is the Week 16 game preview for Carolina as it tries to close out its final home game of the regular season on a high note.
Carolina Panthers Week 15 Recap
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Carolina won a close contest last week, edging the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17 to sweep the season series and keep its aspirations for clinching the division crown alive. Derek Anderson made his second start of the season as he faced the NFC South rivals one again. His play was efficient, as he threw for 277 yards and a touchdown.
The heroes for the Panthers were the defense and kicker Graham Gano.
The defense started a bit shaky as it gave up a long 69-yard run to Doug Martin and a touchdown pass to Mike Evans on Tampa Bay's first offensive series. After that, the unit played well the rest of the way, keeping the Buccaneers off balance and unable to muster much offense. Josh McCown ran for a touchdown late, but that would be the last points Tampa Bay would score. The Buccaneers did get one more chance on offense with less than one minute remaining, but Luke Kuechly managed to step in front of Mike Evans and pick off McCown to seal the win for the Panthers.
Carolina's scoring consisted of Anderson's passing touchdown to Jerricho Cotchery and four field goals by Gano. The Panthers were able to move the ball consistently early on, getting into Tampa Bay territory on their first four drives. However, the offense couldn't put the ball in the end zone, and Gano came on to put points on the board. He did have one miss from 51 yards out.
In the end, the Panthers came away with the win and kept pace in the division.
News and Notes
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Frank Alexander Reinstated
After missing much of the season serving a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander is back with the team. Carolina has been given a seven-day roster exemption in order to determine if he is ready to go, and then the coaches will decide whether to add him to the roster or waive him.
If he is in shape, he will add some depth to the defensive line. Alexander acknowledged the fact he is lucky to still be with the team and expressed his gratitude toward the organization.
Impressive Rookies
Carolina started a record six rookies last week against Tampa Bay, and head coach Ron Rivera lauded their contributions, per Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com. "Veteran guys—by that I mean guys that have played a lot of snaps," Rivera said. "You've got to give credit to the fact that these young guys have developed."
Kelvin Benjamin stands out as the team's most accomplished rookie and is turning in an excellent season. He should be among the finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Trai Turner has played well after recovering from early-season injuries. He could develop into a solid guard if he can remain healthy and continue improving his play at the line of scrimmage.
Tre Boston and Bene Benwikere have been starting in the defensive backfield the last two weeks and have made the most of their playing time after the team cut a couple of veterans earlier in the year.
Finally, there is Philly Brown. The undrafted rookie out of Ohio State initially started off as a return man but found his way into the offense and has developed into a viable weapon that has been utilized as a deep threat and in trick plays. If the rookie class in general continues to grow and improve on the field, it could turn into one of the best draft classes in Carolina history.
Mike Tolbert's Reduced Role
Mike Tolbert has missed significant time this season because of injury, only appearing in six games. However, in those games, it seems as though he isn't being utilized the way he has been in the past. Whether it's an issue affecting his performance, or the line is not opening any running room for him, in the last couple of games he has not been present in situations where one would expect to see him.
For example, in the game at New Orleans, the Panthers were at the Saints' 1-yard line and Cam Newton's number was called. He was able to leap over the pile and get the ball across the plane for the touchdown. However, it was curious that Tolbert wasn't used in that situation in order to bowl over the defense and keep Newton from being hit unnecessarily.
There are still two games left to play for things to change and see Tolbert more involved, but after the season ends, this year will go down as his worst yet.
Injury Report
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| Player/Position | Injury | Game Status |
| Carrington Byndom, CB | Hamstring | Questionable |
| Thomas Davis, OLB | Knee | Probable |
| Roman Harper, S | Thigh | Probable |
| A.J. Klein, OLB | Ankle | Questionable |
| Cam Newton, QB | Back | Probable |
| Amini Silatolu, OG | Knee | Questionable |
| DeAngelo Williams, RB | Hand | Questionable |
The biggest question here will be whether Cam Newton starts Sunday. He was limited in Wednesday's practice and was a full participant on Thursday. The good news is he looks good throwing the ball. Ron Rivera stated he would make his decision on who starts Friday.
If Newton doesn't start, backup Derek Anderson will take the snaps, and he would like to have a shot at his former team. So far, Newton is on track to start this week.
As for everyone else, it's likely they will be available to play this weekend.
Thomas Davis suffered a hyperextended knee in last week's game but has been back on the practice field this week. No doubt a sigh of relief was felt around the organization and the fanbase. Since he practiced without any limitations this week, chances are he won't be limited against the Browns.
Amini Silatolu would be a welcome sight back on the line. He has been able to practice this week, but he was limited. Regardless, he could be a backup if he is able to play, given how the offensive line has performed the past two weeks.
DeAngelo Williams should be ready to return to action after his hand injury kept him out of last week's game. It would be nice to have a fully staffed running back corps at Rivera and Mike Shula's disposal. Plus, it would allow Newton to hand off the ball more without tiring out Jonathan Stewart.
Injury report courtesy of Panthers.com
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Carolina Front Seven vs. Johnny Manziel
From Luke Kuechly to Charles Johnson, the Carolina Panthers will do everything possible to make Johnny Manziel's second start just as rough as the first one. It's likely Sean McDermott will have his defensive playmakers studying game film of last week's meeting between Cincinnati and Cleveland to determine flaws in the Browns offense and how to best disrupt the rookie's timing and pocket presence.
Manziel still has a lot to prove, but if his limited play against Buffalo is any indicator, he has the potential to be good in this league. Things won't get any easier against Carolina, as its defense has started to play better as of late. Based on the performance of the front seven and the secondary in recent weeks, the advantage goes to the Panthers.
Jonathan Stewart vs. Cleveland Rush Defense
The Browns enter the game as one of the worst run-stopping teams in the league. This bodes well for Jonathan Stewart (and perhaps Cam Newton and Mike Tolbert), who has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence as of late.
The Panthers like to run the ball, and considering that Cleveland is a top-10 team in stopping the pass, moving the ball on the ground could become the focal point of Carolina's game plan on Sunday. The last time the Panthers played the Browns, Stewart had 98 rushing yards on 12 carries. Of course, that was in 2009. A game similar to the one Stewart had two weeks ago in New Orleans should help propel Carolina to victory.
Carolina Secondary vs. Cleveland Receivers
The Browns don't have a guy in their receiving corps who would be labeled as a primary receiver, unlike the Panthers, who have two capable, playmaking receivers.
Cleveland quarterbacks spread the ball around to different players. Only Travis Benjamin has more than two touchdown receptions, leading the team with three. Andrew Hawkins is the team leader in receptions (58) and receiving yards (763).
With that in mind, the Carolina secondary may not have to worry about too many double-teams, but it should keep an eye on Josh Gordon. He missed much of the year for violating the league's substance abuse policy and has averaged five catches per game since his return. If Josh Norman and Bene Benwikere can shut down the outside and Roman Harper and Tre Boston can take care of business in the middle of the field, the Browns will have a difficult time getting anything going offensively.
Carolina's X-Factor of the Week: Luke Kuechly
One thing the Panthers have been able to do lately is move the ball. How many points such drives generate is a totally different story.
That is why the defense playing well Sunday is important. Leading the unit will be Luke Kuechly, who was named the top inside linebacker by fans for the Pro Bowl. He is a tackling machine and a defensive playmaker who can turn the tide of a game. His interception last week helped Carolina to a win over Tampa Bay.
That ability and his defensive intellect will determine how successful the Panthers defense will be against the Browns offense. Ultimately, Kuechly and his teammates will want to get inside Manziel's head early and force him to make a lot of mistakes.
Prediction
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Carolina would like to close out what may be its final home game of the year with a victory. Cleveland needs a big road win just to stay in the playoff picture in the AFC. To end their three-game winless streak against AFC opponents this season, the Panthers need another quality game from both sides of the ball. It would be foolish to underestimate the Cleveland defense or the ability of rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The Carolina defense is playing better, and the offense appears to be clicking. There is no doubt there will be a playoff-like atmosphere in the stadium on Sunday.
Manziel will likely have a better game in his second start of the season, but he will be facing an aggressive defense. The Browns are a team on the rise, but their recent slide could be an indicator that they are not quite ready for the postseason and the big games that come with it.
The Panthers were down this road last year, and there are veterans on this team who know what it takes to be a winner. That experience will prove to be advantageous for Carolina this weekend.
Prediction: Carolina 24, Cleveland 13
Team and player information courtesy of Panthers.com, ESPN.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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