The Carolina Panthers are preparing to face the Atlanta Falcons, focusing on a defense that has become known for its strong pass rush. Despite only a day of film study, Panthers head coach Dave Canales highlighted several aspects of the Falcons’ approach.
“It’s effort and depth,” said Canales. “They have a really good group of rushers, whether it’s inside or outside, and then (linebacker Kaden) Ellis comes in there in a mug type of situation, and he’s got an excellent way of being a part of the stunts and adding himself into a five-man rush.”
Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan also commented on the challenge ahead: “They’re flying around. They got a lot of young guys that contribute, obviously, they got a good front seven, they got a good collective defense, so, obviously, we’re looking forward to that battle. We’ll see what happens.”
The Falcons’ defensive front includes rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., as well as Brandon Dorlus and Zach Harrison. The team is among the league leaders in total sacks but does not have any individual player ranked in the top 30 for sacks this season. Instead, their production is spread across 15 players with at least half a sack each.
Canales noted how Atlanta’s defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich uses different blitzes involving defensive backs: “They use their DBs also with different blitzes, and I think Jeff Ulbrich has done a really great job of having variety and how they attack the pass game, from a rush standpoint. But at the end of the day, they got some talented guys, and they got some young speed on the edges. And they got Leonard Floyd too,” he said about Floyd’s contribution this season. “On any given play, he looks as good as he ever did.
“So this is a group I really respect. We’re aware of that. You know, we have to be mindful of the different ways they’re going to try to create that rush. The bottom line is it starts with effort, and this is a group that really plays hard. They’ve looked like that since the beginning of the season.”
Leonard Floyd did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury.
Another change since these teams last met is cornerback A.J. Terrell’s return from injury for Atlanta; he has played seven games since returning and recorded 32 tackles along with four passes defended.
“First things first, you know, A.J. wasn’t playing that first week, so that’s obviously going to be a big change,” McMillan said about facing Terrell again.
Recently Atlanta’s pass-rush performance has improved further—recording seven sacks against Indianapolis last Sunday and six against New England two weeks ago.
In their previous meeting earlier this season (Week 3), Carolina limited Atlanta to one sack; more recently against Green Bay (Week 9), Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was sacked only once while avoiding pressure from top defenders by getting rid of the ball quickly—a strategy likely to be used again.
Tight end Tommy Tremble emphasized execution: “I think staying on our tools, listening to our coaching points,” Tremble said. “As long as we plan—our game plan is really good, so if we can handle that and execute the right way, I think we’ll be all right.
“They’re good players all around the board. That’s something I think they’ve upgraded a lot this past season. Their defense is good, and so we’ve got to address that by having good technique, doing the right things, and being in the right places…”
Quarterback Bryce Young summarized his view after reviewing film: “It really just jumps off the tape—the physicality with which they’re playing… They’re making a lot of plays; it’s a really good group… So we have a ton of respect for them at all three levels… Again we have a ton of respect for them as an opponent.”
The Panthers are aiming for improvement after struggling offensively against New Orleans last week but recognize another difficult test awaits when facing Atlanta’s defense on Sunday.
