San Francisco 49ers Vs. Carolina Panthers: 5 Bold Predictions For Week 2 Of 2016 NFL Season
Week 2 of the 2016 NFL Season will feature a matchup of the defending NFC Champion, Carolina Panthers, against a team that has had three different head coaches in the last three seasons in the San Francisco 49ers.
The Panthers will be looking to record their first win of the season after they suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Carolina Trailing 21-20 with 3:06 left in the fourth quarter, Cam Newton led the Panthers on a 12-play 28-yard drive that set kicker Graham Gano up for a 50-yard field goal that would’ve won the game, but Gano pulled his kick wide left.
Final drive against Broncos featured a little bit of everything, incl. some old warts for Panthers.https://t.co/n7Czn6Jxuh
— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 11, 2016
The 49ers, on the other hand, completely dismantled the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. Chip Kelly’s offense rushed for 150 yards and picked up 28 first downs while the defense held the Rams to only 185 total yards and 10 first down en route to a 28-0 shutout. It was truly an impressive showing by a team that wasn’t expected to have much success entering the 2016 NFL Season.
#49ers coach Chip Kelly shows that he’s the same ball coach in San Francisco: https://t.co/dhST53vqE3
— Today’s Pigskin (@TodaysPigskin) September 15, 2016
It was a tremendous performance from a team that’s received more notoriety for Colin Kaepernick’s protest of the national anthem than for the players on the team. Kelly did a masterful job of getting his team ready to play on Monday night despite the circumstances.
With these two teams set to do battle at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC this weekend, here are five bold predictions for this NFC tilt.
1. Panthers’ Defense Will Force At Least 3 Turnovers
Carolina led the NFL in turnovers forced in 2015, and the team continued that trend in Week 1 by forcing the Broncos into two interceptions and a fumble lost. While the 49ers only turned the ball over once against the Rams, the Panthers have an innate ability to create turnovers, and that should continue this weekend.
2. Cam Newton Will Throw For 300 Yards And 3 Touchdowns
Newton only threw for 194 yards against the Broncos as his offensive line struggled to protect him. The Panthers’ quarterback should find himself with more time in the pocket against the 49ers which could spell doom for the 49ers’ defense. Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess, and Greg Olsen will create matchup problems for the 49ers’ secondary because of their size.
3. Kony Ealy Will Record Multiple Sacks
The 49ers’ offensive line didn’t allow any sacks against the Rams on Monday night, but that was because they were able to run the ball so successfully. Against the Panthers, the 49ers will likely find tougher sledding which should lead to more dropbacks for quarterback Blaine Gabbert and thus more opportunities for sacks.
4. Kelvin Benjamin Will Have 100 Yards Receiving And 2 Touchdowns
Benjamin played his first game since tearing his ACL in August 2015 last week, and he hauled in six passes for 91 yards and a touchdown against the best secondary in football. Also, Newton targeted Benjamin a team-high 12 times as he routinely looked for his massive 6-foot-5 target out of Florida State. Expect more of the same against the 49ers on Sunday.
5. Panthers Win By At Least 2 Touchdowns
Despite the tough loss to the Broncos, the Panthers are still one of the top-five teams in the NFL. Also, despite their 28-0 romping of the Rams, the 49ers are still one of the five worst teams in the NFL. The Panthers will show up ready to play on Sunday which will be bad news for the 49ers. Expect Carolina to take control from the opening snap in what should be total domination by the defending NFC Champions.
[Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images]
