Carolina Panthers: Three ways to beat the New Orleans Saints

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 17: Deion Jones #45 of the Atlanta Falcons tries to stop Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Involve Christian McCaffrey in the passing game

Through the first 10 games of the 2019 season, Christian McCaffrey is having one of the best seasons of any running back in NFL history. He currently has 1,576 yards from scrimmage, which puts him on pace to break Chris Johnson’s single-season record by the narrowest of margins. Of those almost 1,600 yards, 517 of them have come through the air–good enough for second in the league among running backs.

While McCaffrey has proved that he is one of the best rushing players in the NFL, he is also perhaps the team’s best receiver. DJ Moore has come on as of late, however, he isn’t nearly as consistent as McCaffrey. In fact, it appears as though CMC has become his quarterbacks’ go-to target over the past three seasons. Over that span, he has more targets and more receptions than any other Panther–and it isn’t close.

With all that being said, Carolina needs to be sure to utilize McCaffrey’s skills as a receiver, especially against a New Orleans defense that is one of the best at stopping the run. Also, because of the Saints’ ability to sack the opposing quarterback, it’s important that Kyle Allen gets the ball out quickly and accurately. What better way to achieve that than to get the ball in your best player’s hands?

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