3 Things Panthers Fans Should Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving
By Luke Tucker
Rebuilt Pass Rush
This past offseason, the Panthers’ placed more emphasis on improving the pass rush than they did any other area of the football team. That led to the drafting of Brian Burns, the signing of Gerald McCoy and Bruce Irvin, and the continued reliance on veteran Mario Addison. In another attempt to fix the club’s pass-rushing woes from 2018, the Panthers also switched to a 3-4 defense, allowing the team to put more athletic playmakers on the field at any given moment. From a pass-rushing standpoint, it has been a smashing success.
11 games in, only the San Francisco 49ers have more sacks than the Panthers’ 41. Carolina currently has eight players with at least 3.0 sacks, and is led by Addison’s 8.0. Burns, the Panthers’ rookie first-round pick, is second on the team with 5.5 sacks, and has shown flashes of his enormous potential. It wouldn’t be one bit surprising to see him go from good to one of the elite pass-rushers in the league next season.
Even the veteran signees McCoy and Irvin have made their presence felt, combining for 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. As an added bonus, Carolina’s ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks has helped lead to 13 interceptions, good enough for third-best in the league.