Calvin Johnson is the NFL’s best receiver. No one player can contain him. It will take a multi-faceted defensive effort from the Panthers to at least limit the Lions’ star wideout’s big plays.
PASS RUSH
Almost everything the Panthers defense does revolves around the dominating impact of the defensive line, and the front seven as a whole. Greg Hardy, Charles Johnson and a deep group of defensive tackles will need to harass quarterback Matthew Stafford in Week 2.Stafford showed improved mobility during Detroit’s Week 1 win over the Giants. Not only did he scramble more, but he also exploded in short areas to get away from pass rushers:
In the above clip, Stafford rolls right to find a passing lane. When he’s met by Damontre Moore, Stafford makes the defensive end miss. He uses his improved leg strength and lower-body drive to avoid the tackle, and then gets the pass off.The extra time allowed Johnson to leave Giants cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie in the dust. If the quarterback can continue to buy himself extra seconds, the Stafford/Johnson combination could become even more lethal.The Panthers had three sacks of Bucs quarterback Josh McCown in Week 1, but it could have been more. The Bucs quarterback was able to get the ball off at the last second several times: Defensive tackle Kawann Short wreaked plenty of havoc on passing plays, but he wasn’t able to tally a sack. In the above screenshot, Short knifes into the backfield and has McCown dead to rights. The 35-year-old quarterback has somewhat decent mobility, and he buys himself some time. Short still catches up to him, but McCown gets the ball out for a short completion to his tight end.It would have helped if defensive end Charles Johnson had won his one-on-one matchup, which you can see on the right side of the frame. Johnson could have cleaned up Short’s pressure for a sack.The first step in slowing down Calvin Johnson is not losing containment on Stafford. The Panthers could pay a higher price than they did against the Bucs if they fail to finish opportunities against the Lions’ quarterback.Bene Benwikere
Johnson primarily lines up as the receiver on the right side. If he’s there against the Panthers, he’ll find himself across from Antoine Cason, who we highlighted in last week’s ‘Breaking Down.’But the Lions have previously shown they’ll move Johnson around. Don’t rule out the possibility he could see some tie in the slot against nickel corner Bené Benwikere.The rookie didn’t look out of place during his NFL debut Sunday. In fact, he played very well and with good awareness:
In the play above, Benwikere’s at the top of the screen in the slot, playing deep off the line. It appears he’s in zone coverage as he doesn’t stick with any one player. You’ll notice the rookie cycle his gaze through three receivers who cross his face. That can be a lot to process for any defensive back, especially for a guy playing his first NFL regular-season game.At one point it looks like Benwikere is going to drop deeper down the field, but he changes course. He reads the play, trusts his instincts and charges downhill at the short receiver. Benwikere makes the tackle, preventing any yards after the catch.Johnson will likely spend most of his time going against Cason or cornerback Melvin White (who also played well in Week 1). However, if the Lions play him against the Panthers’ least-experienced cornerback, Benwikere needs to play even better than he did against the Bucs.Thomas Davis
You wouldn’t usually associate an outside linebacker with having to defend a receiver. But as mentioned, slowing down Johnson will be a team effort. Also, Thomas Davis is no ordinary linebacker. It’s amazing the 31-year-old, who’s torn his ACL three times, is one of the premier coverage and blitzing linebackers in the league.The key to slowing down a dominant receiver is establishing bracket coverage. That will involve using an outside corner to cover Johnson, and rolling a safety like Thomas DeCoud over to his side. But the Panthers can use Davis as a third chess piece to defend against Johnson.Here’s an example of such coverage from Week 1:
Vincent Jackson, another 6’5 wideout, runs a post route through the Panthers’ secondary. Three defenders end up in coverage on Jackson. Davis (highlighted) drops into a shallow zone to handle the middle of the field, White defends the boundary in his zone, and DeCoud roams the deep areas: The secondary does a good job covering Jackson, but it’s Davis who erases him as an option. It’s Davis’ coverage at the stem of Jackson’s route that blankets him at the crucial point of the in-breaking pattern. This forces McCown to check down to the running back in the flat, and it’s Davis who ends up making the tackle.He can also contribute to the pass rush, even when he doesn’t actually blitz. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott loves to use Davis and fellow linebacker Luke Kuechly as false rushers over the middle to disguise pressure packages. That helps get the defensive linemen favorable matchups: Davis (highlighted) looks like he’s going to rush through the gap between the left guard and the center. He draws the attention of the guard, while the left tackle kicks out to defend against defensive end Greg Hardy on the edge. Charles Johnson is playing defensive tackle here, and there’s no one left to block him: So even though Davis drops instead of rushing the passer, the only Buc left to stop Johnson is running back Doug Martin. He doesn’t even get in the way, and Johnson’s in McCown’s face right away. He’s then forced into an ill-advised, off-balanced throw.Davis’s coverage ability should tighten Stafford’s windows when targeting Johnson. Also, the threat of Davis as a blitzer could confuse the Lions’ front, potentially turning up the heat on the Lions’ quarterback.