Charles Johnson's Ability to Get After QB Key to Panthers' Hopes vs. Cardinals

No player was as instrumental in the Carolina Panthers' four-game winning streak to claim an NFC South title than defensive end Charles Johnson.

With Johnson's consistent edge pressure over the last half of the season, the team's defense looked more like the unit seen in 2013 that finished second overall in total defense than the one that played most of the 2014 campaign.

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera praised Johnson's play over the past four games, per the team's Twitter feed: 

Johnson finished the season with eight-and-a-half sacks. It was his lowest output since 2009. Yet, the defensive end's overall production doesn't entirely encapsulate his importance to the Panthers this season. 

Statistics never tell the entire story. 

Three of Johnson's sacks came in the last three weeks, but it's the pressure he applied on a consistent basis that truly disrupted opposing quarterbacks.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Johnson manufactured 19 quarterback pressures over the past month. His level of play was as good as any defensive end in the NFL over that stretch.  

"Defensive end Charles Johnson (-7.8 to +20.1) had an average Pass Rushing Productivity of 8.5 early in the season," Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke wrote. "Late in the season that was up to 15.5, which led all 4-3 defensive ends."

Pressure on the quarterback can actually be more effective than getting a sack. A prime example presented itself during the de facto NFC South championship game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome. 

Falcons right tackle Ryan Schraeder simply couldn't handle Johnson. The veteran defensive end did register a sack, but he also applied more pressure with another quarterback hit and three hurries, per Pro Football Focus' grades. 

Johnson's ability to rattle Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan directly resulted in the biggest play of the contest. 

With the Panthers leading 10-3 in the second quarter, Johnson applied a strong bull rush followed by an underneath move against Schraeder (see: below). 

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

As Johnson closed on Ryan, the quarterback uncorked an errant pass due to his unwillingness to stand tall against the pressure. Ryan faded to his left to avoid the hit, and it caused an inaccurate pass that eventually landed in the arms of Panthers safety Roman Harper. 

Once Harper snagged Ryan's lob, the 32-year-old safety raced 31 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. With the score extended to 17-3, the Falcons couldn't pull within one score for the rest of the contest. 

Harper was even named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week due in large part to a scoring play that was the direct result of Johnson's pressure on the quarterback. 

According to Rivera, Johnson has also developed into a leader both on and off the field, per the Associated Press' Steve Reed: 

Johnson's burgeoning leadership has affected everyone around him. 

Due to Johnson's high level of play, the defensive ends opposite the eighth-year veteran received more opportunities. 

Opponents have shown a tendency to slide their protection toward Johnson's side. The Panthers have done a nice job allowing the Georgia product to rush from both defensive end spots and not keep him solely on the left side. This movement allows the Panthers to create mismatches against inferior offensive tackles. 

Kony Ealy, the team's second-round draft pick in May's NFL draft, came on strong in recent weeks as a result. Not only is Johnson drawing most of the attention, the Missouri product is now showing the ability to finish against one-on-one blocks. Over the past three games, the first-year defender also has three sacks. 

With the Panthers defensive ends meeting at the quarterback numerous times late in the season, it allows the rest of the defense to improve. 

Pressure off the edge forces quarterbacks to step up into the pocket, which allows the defensive tackles to collapse the pocket and get to the signal-caller. A linebacker isn't required to blitz to generate pressure, which allows them to drop into coverage. And the secondary doesn't have to cover as long when the quarterback is harassed. 

The unit's overall improvement was never more evident than during the past month. 

Carolina's opponents scored an average of 10.8 points per game during the final four regular-season games. Through the first 12 games, the Panthers surrendered 27.9 points per game. 

The resurgence of the Panthers defense doesn't bode well for the Arizona Cardinals during the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. 

The Cardinals' quarterback situation has been a disaster. 

Since quarterback Carson Palmer suffered a torn ACL in Week 10 against the St. Louis Rams, the Cardinals averaged a paltry 12.4 points per game. 

Backup Drew Stanton kept the the team afloat with the Cardinals finishing 3-2 overall once he officially took over the reins. 

Unfortunately, Stanton suffered a knee injury during a Week 15 contest against the Rams that required a scope last Wednesday. He has been ruled out for Saturday's contest, according to AZCentral.com's Ken Somers. 

The Cardinals will instead rely on Ryan Lindley, who was signed off the San Diego Chargers' practice squad three weeks ago. Lindley spent his first two seasons with the Cardinals before he was released this summer. However, he clearly wasn't ready to take over starting duties on such short notice.

Since being forced into the lineup, Lindley has completed 49.4 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and four interceptions. 

Johnson's ability to apply pressure will create problems for Lindley, who will be making his third start of the season. 

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Lindley is a pocket passer that hasn't shown the ability to correctly identify pressure, and he was sacked six times over the past two weeks.

It isn't simply a matter of the starting quarterback, though. The Panthers' defensive staff will be quick to identify which offensive tackle it will try to exploit with the team's best pass-rusher. 

For the Cardinals, that's clearly right tackle Bobby Massie. 

The third-year pro, who returned to the starting lineup this season after being benched last year, has been solid overall, but his pass blocking is underwhelming. The Mississippi product graded negatively in seven games this season including the final three contests, according to Pro Football Focus.

Johnson will spend the bulk of Saturday's meeting at left defensive end, instead of trying to challenge Arizona's left tackle, Jared Veldheer. The Hillsdale product has been one of Arizona's top performers this season. 

Arizona will know exactly where the pressure will be coming from Saturday but can the Cardinals stop it?

Recent history suggests Johnson will continue to have his way with the Cardinals' blockers and help lead the Panthers to fifth-straight victory. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.