The two-man quarterback race for the Carolina Panthers hits the road on Saturday in a Week 1 preseason showdown with the Washington Commanders. Carolina bit the dust with another five-win year and fourth place finish in the NFC South last season. Meanwhile, the Commanders only won seven games and finished third in a much-improved NFC East division.
The Panthers should have an edge in the preseason with most of the starting reps being taken up by veteran quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. So it’ll essentially be two players with starting experience facing first, second and sometimes even third-team units.
But the preseason is obviously important for Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who is still trying to decide on a starter for the season-opener.
Carolina would probably be better off keeping all-world running back Christian McCaffrey on ice against that monstrous Commanders defensive front. Getting through that line is like trying to punch your way through a concrete slab. They had the eighth-ranked run defense in the league last season with opponents averaging only 104.4 rushing yards per game against them.
The best way to attack the Commanders defense has been through the air. It makes sense for the Panth ers to open up the offense a bit more and try to push the ball downfield some to get a better look at their quarterback options.
It’s also important to note the Panthers won’t have Stephon Gilmore in the defensive backfield this season. They finished last season ranked No. 3 overall in passing defense with the former Defensive Player of the Year, who left for the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason. It’ll be interesting seeing if they take a step back against the Commanders offense.