Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers injury update and scouting report for Week 14
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Broncos at Panthers
Expanded coverage of the Week 14 NFL game.
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Throughout much of the 2020 NFL season, the Carolina Panthers watched as other NFL teams mismanaged COVID-19 and felt the impact of players being unavailable for games.
Sure, there were instances for the Panthers. Starting corner Rasul Douglas missed two games after testing positive for COVID-19 and various other players spent time on the list, but nothing major. Not like what the Tennessee Titans or Baltimore Ravens were dealing with.
That changed after the bye week when five starters and eight players overall were announced on the COVID-19 list on the same day. Now, the Panthers are facing a challenge of playing their most winnable game left in the season without some of their key players. Add onto that the fact that Christian McCaffrey was expected to make his return from a shoulder injury, but instead tweaked a new thigh injury and is likely out.
Still, the Panthers (4-8) have a chance to beat a 4-8 Broncos team that has had it’s fair share of issues. A Super Bowl meeting between the two teams five years ago seems like a distant memory.
Let’s break down the matchup.
WHEN THE PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL ...
The red zone will be the area to watch.
The Broncos have limited opponents to the second-lowest red-zone touchdown efficiency in the NFL, allowing six points on 47.7% of red-zone drives. Opponents also have averaged just 4.55 points in the red zone, sixth-fewest in the league.
On the other side of things, the Panthers have had plenty of red-zone woes this season. Carolina has scored touchdowns on 55% of red-zone drives, tied for eighth-fewest in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens. The Panther average 4.75 points per red-zone drive, ninth-fewest in the league.
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said this week that he felt the game was going to come down to the red zone. In the loss to the Vikings prior to the team’s bye week, the Panthers went 0-3 in the red zone. They have settled for short field goals far too often this season.
But scoring will be even more difficult with some of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s top weapons expected to miss the game. McCaffrey is doubtful and expected to be out for his 10th game of the season, and wide receiver DJ Moore is not likely to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the game.
The Panthers got back wide receiver Curtis Samuel from the COVID-19 list Friday, but they will need a variety of players to step up without Moore, who has a team-high 924 receiving yards and averages 18.5 yards per reception.
The Broncos will be without multiple players in the secondary, including cornerback A.J. Bouye, who has been suspended six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. But as Rhule said, this is going to come down to the red zone. And without two top weapons, the Panthers are set up to continue to have issues.
Advantage: Broncos
WHEN THE BRONCOS HAVE THE BALL ...
The Panthers are happy that linebacker Shaq Thompson and defensive tackle Derrick Brown will be on the field. Both were activated off the COVID-19 list Friday and are expected to play in Sunday’s game. The two starters are among the Panthers’ best defensive players, and Thompson gets the defensive play calls in his helmet, leading the defense.
But they will be without defensive tackle Zach Kerr, who has been a valuable piece on the defensive line since Kawann Short’s season-ending shoulder injury. The Panthers have been good against the run overall in the second half of the season and at times have shown an ability to generate pressure.
The Broncos average 118.9 rushing yards per game, 12th in the NFL, with Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon, and the Panthers have limited opponents to 115.1 yards per game on the ground (15th lowest).
There has been obvious improvement. Carolina has held opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in four of the past seven games, including the Week 12 loss to Minnesota, after allowing 100-plus in the first five games.
The defense will need to do that again and force Broncos quarterback Drew Lock to win the game.
Lock is completing 55.4% of his passes, lowest among starting quarterbacks. The Broncos are among the worst in the NFL in a variety of categories, including 32nd in turnover differential (minus-17) and 31st in first downs (18.3) and points per game (18.8), only better than the winless New York Jets.
The Panthers defense has had its issues, like in the fourth quarter of the Vikings game, but the unit has continued to improve. Cornerback Donte Jackson, who leads the Panthers with three interceptions, will be making his return to the secondary after taking some time off to heal his toe injury, and most of the questionable players should play. They’ll have an opportunity to shine against a struggling offense.
Advantage: Panthers
WHEN THEY KICK ...
Joey Slye’s got four weeks left to prove he deserves to be the Panthers’ kicker for the long-term. Slye is coming off a missed 54-yard field goal in Minnesota that would have won the game. He has made 77.4% of field goals on the season (23rd), including missing two historic attempts.
The Panthers signed a kicker to the practice squad this week, Lirim Hajrullahu, so Slye’s had some competition in practice, even though Rhule said this week, “Joey is our kicker.” It will be interesting to see if he can respond in a similar manner to last year, when he made all of his kicks over the last five games after the Panthers brought in kicker Greg Joseph to the practice squad.
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus is among the best in the league. He has made 91.7% of his field-goal attempts this year (tied for eighth-best) and has missed only one point-after attempt (19 of 20). McManus’ two missed field goals came from 50-plus yards (8 of 10).
BRONCOS-PANTHERS SCORE PREDICTION
It’s been quite a week for the Panthers. Getting three players back from the COVID-19 list is big, but they were only able to practice at the end of the week and are coming off of the bye. There will be some limitations.
The teams share the same record, but the Broncos also gave the Kansas City Chiefs quite a fight last week. The Panthers offense will have a hard time without Moore, however, this should be an opportunity for the defense to continue to build and have a solid performance. The game could easily come down to special teams, and the Panthers haven’t been wining there lately. Ultimately, Carolina will lose another close one at home.
Broncos 27, Panthers 24
BRONCOS-PANTHERS INJURY REPORT
Broncos: G Graham Glasgow (foot) OUT, S Trey Marshall (shin) OUT, WR Tyrie Cleveland (illness) OUT, LT Garett Bolles (illness) QUESTIONABLE.
Panthers: G Dennis Daley (concussion) OUT, RB Christian McCaffrey (shoulder/thigh) doubtful, CB Rasul Douglas (non-injury related) QUESTIONABLE, DE Marquis Haynes (illness) QUESTIONABLE, S Sam Franklin (ankle) QUESTIONABLE, DE Efe Obada (knee) QUESTIONABLE, DE Yetur Gross-Matos (non-injury related) QUESTIONABLE, S Tre Boston (hamstring) QUESTIONABLE, TE Ian Thomas (knee) QUESTIONABLE.
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers injury update and scouting report for Week 14."
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