Carolina Panthers: Three ways to beat the New Orleans Saints

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CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 17: Julius Peppers #90 of the Carolina Panthers rushes Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 17, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Pressure Drew Brees

So far this season, no team has been better than the Panthers at getting the opposing team’s quarterback on the ground. The Carolina defense has eight players with at least 3.0 sacks, and has a league-high 39 on the year. New Orleans on the other hand, is giving up one of the lowest sack rates in the league. This is in large part due to Drew Brees’ ability to get the ball out quick.

10 games into the season, only Andy Dalton and Matt Moore (who are both currently backups) are getting rid of the ball quicker according to NFL Next Gen Stats (NGS). On first thought, that isn’t a statistic that would seem to carry much weight; however, the faster Brees gets the ball of out his hands, the less time opposing defenses have to sack him, hence the low sack rate. It also positively correlates to his league-leading completion percentage. That being said, the Panthers’ pass rush will have their work cut out for them come Sunday.

When taking all that into consideration, the best way to slow Brees is to slow his thinking process, then put him on the ground. In order to do so, the Panthers need to take away the short passes. Brees and backup Teddy Bridgewater have the lowest average air yards per attempt according to NGS, with Brees’ average pass coming at just 5.9 yards downfield. If Carolina can take away those short passes, it’ll give the top-ranked pass rush time to get after the veteran quarterback.

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