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Redskins vs. Panthers: Week 6 offense and defense matchups, score prediction

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins throws a pass against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins throws a pass against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins throws a pass against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – AUGUST 24: Quarterback Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins throws a pass against the Denver Broncos in the first half during a preseason game at FedExField on August 24, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Redskins offense vs. Panthers defense

The matchup with the Panthers defense isn’t going to be an easy one for the Redskins this week. The Panthers have logged a 3-1 record to start the year, and their defense has been a big part of that, helping to limit the Cowboys in the opener, and they held the Bengals to just 21 points in Week 3 while interception Andy Dalton four times. And from here, it should only get better for them.

The Panthers defense is going to have a bit of a different look in Week 6. Thomas Davis is returning from the four-game suspension he served to start the season, and his presence should improve what is already a formidable front seven for the Panthers.

Davis should continue to help their seventh-best run defense that only allows 95 yards per game to opposing running backs. That will make it very hard for a banged-up Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson to generate yards between the tackles. As a result, more short dump-offs may replace the running game a bit. That should work out — provided that Alex Smith doesn’t throw his backs into danger, as he did on multiple occasions Monday night.

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Speaking of Smith, he is going to have to greatly improve over his prime-time performance if he wants to give the Redskins a chance to win. Smith was woefully inaccurate in the second half on Monday night and at times, it seemed like he couldn’t even get the ball in the vicinity of the receiver. That will need to change, and he should be able to change that against Carolina.

The weakness of the Panthers defense is their secondary. James Bradberry is a solid cornerback but aside from him, the team has minimal talent. Newly acquired safety Eric Reid should help in coverage a bit, but still, the Panthers secondary can be beaten.

For the Redskins, seeing a receiver or Jordan Reed step up this week would be huge. They’ve been waiting for that to happen seemingly all year, and the top targets — especially Paul Richardson — should be able to take advantage of favorable matchups on Sunday afternoon. That’s the one advantage for the Redskins, which is unfortunate as it has been their weakness this season.

Overall, it’s hard to imagine the Redskins offense producing much against the Panthers defense. Sure, they may be able to score, but the strengths and weaknesses of each team align well, and that makes this more of a potential 20-point stalemate than anything else.

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