Redskins vs. Panthers: Full Carolina Game Preview

Hopefully, the Carolina Panthers (9-0) were watching Monday Night Football this week. A former fellow unbeaten team, the Cincinnati Bengals, fell to the Houston Texans at home in a game they were widely favored to win. Just because everything has gone well to this point doesn’t mean a team can overlook anyone—every team in the Super Bowl era but the 1972 Miami Dolphins has slipped up somewhere. 

There are no gimmes in the NFL.

This is an important fact to remember when Washington (4-5) comes to town. While the Panthers get to face Washington at home, that hasn’t been a guarantee for undefeated teams in the past. In addition to the Bengals’ loss last week, the 2009 Colts, at 14-0, lost to the Jets at home, as did the 10-0 2008 Titans, again to the Jets. The 2005 Colts, a 13-0 team, lost their first game at home to the Chargers and so on—NFL history is filled with previously unbeaten teams dropping a game at home to competition that is, on paper, inferior.

Unlike Tennessee last week, Washington still has everything to play for this season. It may only be 4-5, but that’s only a half-game out of the NFC East, and win would guarantee the team a tie for the division lead. Washington is coming off a huge blowout win against New Orleans—arguably its best performance of the season—and is looking to make the same sort of late playoff run Carolina had last season.

Of course, Washington has also allowed 150 or more yards rushing in five straight games, a stat that doesn’t bode well when matched up against Carolina’s 20-game streak of 100 or more yards on the ground. Washington has also struggled against Carolina, losing the last three matchups between the clubs—it hasn’t beaten Carolina since 2006, and even that took a late comeback from Jason Campbell and Chris Cooley to pull off.

Washington is definitely an improved team this season—its four wins already matches its highest total since it made the playoffs in 2012—but calling it a good team is premature. It has taken steps forward this year, and quarterback Kirk Cousins has flashed some potential in big wins, but Washington is far from a complete squad.

Carolina is justifiably favored in this game, with sportsbooks making it a 7.5-point favorite, per Odds Shark. Most of the indicators and trends imply that Carolina should win this one fairly easily, but as the Cincinnati-Houston game showed us, nothing is a sure thing in the NFL.

Will the Panthers keep everything rolling and join the 21 10-0 teams in football history? Or will they slip up for the first time all season, putting home-field advantage and possibly even the division title back on the table? We’ll find out Sunday.

Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: Fox, with Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis on the call for the second time this season.

Week 10 Results and Recap

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

The Panthers put the Titans away early in the fourth quarter.

Cam Newton got off to a lightning-fast start, the defense clamped down in the second half, and the Panthers got off their streak of allowing late fourth-quarter comebacks on their way to beating the Tennessee Titans, 27-10.

Newton completed his first 11 passes of the game—a personal best—and ended up with a completion percentage of 80.8 percent, his second-highest in a single game. He was perfect when targeting Greg Olsen, completing all eight pass attempts for 80 yards, and was nearly as accurate all day long.

He also ran for a touchdown, giving him 30 career games in which he has both thrown and run for a score. He can tie Steve Young’s record of 31 such games this week.

Defensively, the Panthers didn’t allow Tennessee to score at all in the second half. This is a step forward after the Panthers had allowed 22 and 17 points, respectively, to Green Bay and Indianapolis in the second halves of the past two weeks, allowing big leads to slip away. Instead, they shut Tennessee down entirely, and the offense managed to build on the first-half lead, resulting in a fairly comfortable win.

Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins was setting a personal best with four touchdown passes for Washington, each one of them longer than any other scoring pass he had thrown in 2015. The offensive explosion helped them rout the New Orleans Saints, 47-14.

Cousins did most of his damage on short, accurate passes—his average throw traveled just 3.3 yards in the air, according to ESPN.com—and then the historically bad New Orleans pass defense took over from there, missing tackles and allowing 259 yards after the catch. It was a performance bad enough, on the heels of several other bad performances, to see defensive coordinator Rob Ryan fired.

NFC South Standings

1. Carolina Panthers (9-0)
2. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
4. New Orleans Saints (4-6)

With Atlanta on a bye, the only other game involving an NFC South team last week saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win an ugly low-scoring game against Dallas, winning 10-6 to get within a game of .500.

The Panthers have a three-game lead in the division, and any 5-2 record would clinch their third consecutive division title, even if those two losses came to Atlanta. No team has ever won the NFC South in three consecutive years; no team had even won it in back-to-back years until Carolina did so last season.

NFC Playoff Picture

1. Carolina Panthers (9-0)
2. Arizona Cardinals (7-2) (Ahead of MIN via conference record)
3. Minnesota Vikings (7-2)
4. New York Giants (5-5)
5. Green Bay Packers (6-3) (Ahead of ATL via conference record)
6. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)

Carolina maintains a two-game cushion over the rest of the NFC and can clinch home-field advantage with any 6-1 record going forward. Any 5-2 record will ensure it gets a first-round bye, but it will be rooting for Green Bay to catch back up to Minnesota in the NFC North. The Panthers own the tiebreaker over the Packers, but it’s still conceivable that the Vikings could win a potential tiebreaker over Carolina.

Every team in the NFC can still finish at any slot in the playoffs, but a win by Carolina on Sunday would eliminate Detroit and Dallas from potential home-field advantage, while losses by those clubs and help elsewhere would take them out of bye-week consideration. A Panthers win and 49ers loss would also eliminate San Francisco from potential home-field advantage.

None of these teams is an actual threat to the Panthers, but to clinch everything, you have to eliminate all other 15 teams. Every little bit helps.

News and Notes

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press/Associated Press

Cam Newton's end zone dance remains a topic of discussion.

Cam Newton, Lord of the Dance

Toward the end of the Tennessee game, Cam Newton scored a rushing touchdown and proceeded to do a touchdown dance, performing the "dab."  Titans linebacker Avery Williamson took offense to that dance, and Newton responded by dancing even harder in the opposition's general direction.

Somehow, half a week later, this is still a story.

An angry Tennessee mother wrote an open letter to Newton, accusing him of being a bad role model for children, per the Charlotte Observer. She claims her nine-year-old daughter asked her difficult questions:

"

My daughter sensed the change immediately – and started asking questions. Won’t he get in trouble for doing that? Is he trying to make people mad? Do you think he knows he looks like a spoiled brat?

I didn’t have great answers for her, and honestly, in an effort to minimize your negative impact and what was otherwise a really fun day, I redirected her attention to the cheerleaders and mascot.

I could tell she was still thinking about it as we boarded a shuttle back to our car. “I guess he doesn’t have kids or a Mom at home watching the game,” she added.

"

Per Titans Insider (h/t Yahoo), Williamson said after the game: “I don't like it personally. You saw my reaction to it. He wants to be the man, so he wants to celebrate because he scored. But I don't personally go for that stuff."

It should be noted that earlier in the game, after Williamson had sacked Newton, he performed Drake’s dance from the “Hotline Bling” video.  That is pretty much the textbook definition of hypocrisy.

It perhaps should also be noted that the angry Tennessee mother, so offended by Newton’s dancing, claims she directed her daughter’s attention to the Tennessee cheerleaders, who were…dancing.

It perhaps should also be noted that while some in the media are arguing whether Newton’s celebration went too far, they’re also celebrating Drew Stanton’s celebration from Monday night. Stanton wasn’t even in on the play.

Newton didn’t perform an inappropriate act or do anything X-rated on the field. He didn’t mime an act of violence or something else that could traumatize people. He did a hip-hop dance in celebration of scoring a touchdown. Touchdown dances are the subjects of commercials, NFL.com highlight videos and special music cues on Sunday Night Football.  The level of controversy that has come over this dance is, frankly, ridiculous.

On Wednesday, Newton addressed the issue, per David Newton of ESPN.com: "It takes me to a happy place.  I remember when I was in high school I used to look up to guys and mimic [them]. Now they're doing the things I do.”

As long as he keeps scoring, Newton will keep dancing. If the backlash continues, maybe he can look to Kevin Bacon for advice.

Panthers Change Sign Policy

In the other Cam-Newton-Is-Too-Exuberant news, the Panthers are revising their stadium’s banner policy, per the Charlotte Observer. You may remember that before the Green Bay Packers game, Newton grabbed and removed a Packers banner a fan had brought to the game.

The Panthers’ previous policy stated that “no banners or flags expressing support of visiting teams” could be affixed to a surface, per ProFootballTalk. The new policy now prohibits fans from having any signs or banners larger than two-by-two feet. 

While director of stadium operations Scott Paul said that the revised rules were due to the old policy being 20 years old, with new graphics and signs being introduced since then, he did admit that the Green Bay game “played a role” in prompting the review of the policy, per Panthers.com.

For what it’s worth, I felt the banner story was a bigger deal than dancing—Newton tore down a banner that belonged to someone else and did not return it. No, the banner shouldn’t have been there due to the previous policy in place, but that’s an issue for stadium security and not the superstar quarterback. Nevertheless, it’s another story that got blown out of proportion thanks to the Panthers’ higher profile this season.

Mike Shula: Hot Commodity

For the past few seasons, as the Panthers offense struggled to get into full gear, there was a small but vocal segment of the fanbase that wanted to see offensive coordinator Mike Shula sent packing. Now, with the Panthers sitting undefeated, there’s a chance they might get their wish.

David Newton of ESPN.com speculates that, considering Carolina’s success despite the lack of game-breaking wide receivers or stud offensive tackles, Shula could be a major head coaching candidate this offseason. Newton notes that a Florida newspaper reported that the Miami Hurricanes were interested in Shula’s services and thinks the Miami Dolphins might be interested in him as well. Shula, of course, is the son of Don Shula, who coached the Dolphins for 25 years.

Shula was last head coach of Alabama from 2003 to 2006, where he put up a 26-23 record, winning the Cotton Bowl in 2005 and making the Music City Bowl the year before. His success with Carolina’s offense this season should at least spark some discussion, though there’s still plenty of football to be played this year before that becomes a real big discussion point.

Shula has said he’s not considering any coaching opportunities at the moment, remaining “locked in” on the week-to-week duties in Carolina, per the ESPN.com story. We’ll have to wait and see what happens this offseason.

Injuries

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Charles Tillman had a rest day on Wednesday.

Carolina has a significantly smaller injury report than Washington at the moment. Carolina’s Wednesday injury report lists just five players; Washington's lists 15. While most of the players on Washington’s report were reported as full participants in practice, that’s still a large list. 

Washington generally lists more players on its injury report than Carolina does, so some of that is just different standards from the Carolina and Washington medical staffs—whereas Carolina might not bother listing someone, Washington will list him as a full participant if he has even a minor injury. Still, even taking that into account, Carolina is better off at the moment.

Carolina Injuries

• DE Jared Allen and CB Charles Tillman both missed Wednesday’s practice but were listed as “non-injury” players. They essentially just had veteran’s rest days and are not in any danger of missing the Washington game.
• G Andrew Norwell (hamstring) was listed as limited on the team’s webpage, a step up from where he’s been the past couple of weeks. He worked out on the side and is progressing well, according to Ron Rivera via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. The Panthers might get one more start from Amini Silatolu, but Norwell is on the path to recovery.
• RB Fozzy Whittaker (hip) is a new addition to the injury report; he has a mild hip pointer, per Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com. Jonathan Stewart has been carrying most of the load anyway; if Whittaker can’t go, it would just leave Cameron Artis-Payne as the primary backup.
• DT Dwan Edwards (ankle) got some more reps this week as he continues to recover from the ankle sprain suffered against Seattle. He says is he is ready to play on Sunday, per David Newton.

Washington Injuries

• DE Jason Hatcher (knee) was the only player Washington listed as not practicing Wednesday. He hasn’t practiced on Wednesdays for the past few weeks and should play Sunday—it’s another veteran’s day off.
• DL Chris Baker (ankle/rib) was listed as limited, but that sounds mostly like soreness. Stephen Paea is his backup if he can’t go Sunday.
• LB Keenan Robinson (shoulder) was also limited, after missing last week with neck and shoulder injuries. Will Compton started for him last week against New Orleans, but it looks like Robinson is on his way back for this week.
• Two cornerbacks—Chris Culliver (knee) and DeAngelo Hall (toe)—were also listed as limited. Both were limited last week as well but played on Sunday, although Hall played less after missing six weeks earlier in the season with a tear in his right toe. Bashaud Breeland had more work in Hall’s absence, but the entire secondary should be ready to go this week.
• S Trenton Robinson (hamstring) actually hurt his hamstring in practice Wednesday and was listed as limited. Either Hall would continue his slow move to safety, or Jeron Johnson would come in for Robinson, but it’s too early to judge the severity of the injury.
• WR Andre Roberts (ankle) practiced in full after missing last week with an ankle injury. He should be active Sunday in the third wide receiver role.
• RB Alfred Morris (rib), OL Josh LeRibeus (elbow/shoulder), G Spencer Long (hip), OL Brandon Scherff (thigh), NT Terrance Knighton (migraine), LB Ryan Kerrigan (hand) and S Dashon Goldson (wrist/hamstring) also showed up on the injury report as full participants. Barring an odd setback during the week, they should suit up Sunday.

Key Matchups

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Chris Baker may be the strong point of Washington's defense.

RB Jonathan Stewart vs. DE Chris Baker and the Washington Run Defense

The top run defender on Washington, Baker was limited in practice Wednesday with some soreness in his ankle and ribs. Washington will need him Sunday, though, as it tries to get its run defense under control.

After starting the season strong, Washington has allowed its last five opponents to top 150 yards rushing. It’s the longest such streak since the Oakland Raiders allowed five teams to do put up those numbers in 2008, and it's the worst stretch of run defense in Washington’s post-merger history. Only the New Orleans Saints allow their opponents more yards per carry this season, and it’s neck-and-neck—4.99 yards per carry compared to 4.97 yards per carry.

Advanced stats, such as Football Outsiders’ DVOA, has Washington merely below-average in run defense, but no matter how you slice it, it bodes poorly against a team that is averaging 139.7 rushing yards per game. Carolina is on a 20-game 100-yard rushing streak, but only six have actually topped the 150-yard mark.  There’s a chance for Stewart and company to tack on another big day on the ground this week.

WR Corey Brown vs. CB Bashaud Breeland

Bashaud Breeland has had more playing time than expected this season, with both Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall missing time due to various injuries. Breeland has performed well, proving he can serve as an outside cornerback as well as the nickel role he was supposed to be playing in.

He’s been so good, in fact, that Washington has been moving Hall to safety now that he’s healthy again, leaving Breeland as one of the top two corners. We’ll see if he can continue his solid season against the speedy Brown, as Chris Culliver is likely to lock horns with Ted Ginn.

LT Michael Oher vs. OLB Trent Murphy and Preston Smith

Second-year player Trent Murphy has been getting a lot of heat from Washington fans this season, as he hasn’t produced the kind of pass-rush numbers you’d hope for from a 3-4 outside linebacker. However, over the past few weeks, he has been on a bit of a hot streak, with a PFF grade of plus-6.9 in his last three games. His best game was last week, when he ended up splitting more playing time than ever with rookie Preston Smith.

The idea for Washington is for Murphy to handle running downs and Smith to handle pass-rush duties—combine the two players, and you’d have an intriguing every-down prospect. Whichever one is in the game, it will be up to Oher to hold his ground and keep the offense on schedule. Oher has been better in pass protection than run blocking so far this year, so this matchup is probably an advantage for Carolina when Oher is up against Smith but a disadvantage when Murphy is in the game.

X-Factors

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Devin Funchess has begun to step things up the last two weeks.

Carolina X-Factor: WR Devin Funchess

Funchess’ rookie season hasn’t quite taken off the way the team perhaps was hoping, but he’s been on something of a roll the last two weeks. Against Green Bay, he caught three passes for 71 yards and a touchdown, and he had two more catches for 41 yards against Tennessee last week. These are the two biggest receiving days of Funchess’ career, and it could be a sign that the game is beginning to slow down for him.

As long as he keeps producing, the Panthers will have to continue to increase his snap count. If he continues to take a step forward against Washington, Carolina will have another weapon down the stretch. The Panthers could definitely use that—Ted Ginn and Jerricho Cotchery have been all right, but Funchess’ potential is higher than their ceilings at this point.

Washington X-Factor: LB Keenan Robinson

Robinson missed last week’s game against New Orleans with neck and shoulder injuries but is practicing again and looks like he should play against Carolina.

Robinson has not had a particularly good season so far. His PFF grade is minus-22.0, the second-lowest grade among inside linebackers, and there’s talk that Will Compton, his replacement, could take over the starting role on a permanent basis, according to Liz Clarke of the Washington Post. If Robinson does get the start against Carolina, he’ll be extra-motivated to have a good game and keep his starting role.

Prediction: Carolina 34, Washington 15

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The Panthers will continue to roll on Sunday.

While there’s no such thing as a gimme in the NFL, Washington isn't a very good football team. It's not terrible, but it has earned every bit of its 4-5 record. It put up a ton of points against New Orleans last week, but that’s more a factor of the Saints being ultra-soft defensively rather than Washington developing into a powerhouse offensive unit.

I see a team that simply cannot stop the run recently. Five straight games of 150 or more rushing yards is an absolutely terrible performance, and Washington's job doesn’t get easier against the Panthers this week. Carolina should be able to overwhelm Washington’s defense on the ground, control the ball and force the opposition to play from behind. 

Carolina’s defense is a little stiffer than New Orleans’, so Washington won’t be able to put together the same sort of offensive fireworks we saw last week.

This may or may not be Carolina’s toughest remaining home game, depending on how much you believe in the 6-3 Falcons at this point. However, Carolina has proved to be good enough to this point that you should never expect it to lose at home. The team's seven-game regular-season home winning streak is tied for the longest in the NFL, and the Panthers' quality of play makes them a great squad.

Great teams don’t lose home games very often.

As we saw on Monday night, any team can lose on any given day, even when that team is undefeated and playing at home. Still, any prediction other than a comfortable Carolina win doesn’t seem to be backed up with facts. The Panthers will go to 10-0 and essentially end any chance they could somehow fall out of playoff contention.

Prediction: Carolina 34, Washington 15

Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the Carolina Panthers. Follow him @BryKno on twitter.