Carolina Panthers: Tennessee Titans Next
The Carolina Panthers will be looking to clean up some first game mistakes this week against the Titans.
The Carolina Panthers return to the field for preseason game number two this Saturday. They will face the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. The Titans were one of the teams the Panthers defeated last year during their outstanding 15-1 regular season.
At the time that the two teams faced each other, the Titans were working under interim coach Mike Mularkey and rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota. Now Mularkey has the head coach tag and Mariota has a season under his belt. The Titans also went and got some name recognition in the off-season by acquiring DeMarco Murray from the Eagles. They also drafted Derrick Henry and had a good overall draft by trading down out of the first pick.
The Titans are a team that has much to prove and are playing in a division that is wide open. The Colts took a step back last year, the Texans are trying out a new quarterback, and the Jaguars loaded up on free agents with their cap space.
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To get a win against the Titans does not have to win in victory for the Panthers. It has to show that the silly penalties suffered against the Baltimore Ravens are a thing of the past. The Panthers ultimately lost four points on a five yard illegal participation penalty. The team also hit a return man before he could catch a punt. Those little things are hopefully just first game jitters.
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One thing that stood out from the Ravens game was just how little the first team offense was out on the field. While restricted action is common in the preseason, it seems that coaches are getting more and more restrictive with their teams. It was not hard to notice that the Ravens really did not put their first string offense on the field at all.
The Panthers first string should see more action against the Titans before its real dress rehearsal in the third game of the preseason. The Panthers first team defense also did not answer too many questions about its young defensive backs. The Titans shipped off Dorial Green-Beckham to the Eagles, but free agent Andre Johnson may come in for spread looks to test the rookies in the Panthers secondary.
Finally there are the roster deadlines. The Panthers need to be down to 75 players by September 1. That may motivate some players down the line to perform against the Titans.