Panthers Highlights: 5 promising plays from the defense vs. Chargers

This Panthers defense was supposed to be the worst in the NFL this season. That may yet prove to be true, but so far the numbers and the tape suggest there are several defenses that are playing much worse than this one. Also, we saw several signs of progress in this past week’s upset road win over the Chargers, including an improved pass rush and some timely takeaways.

Here are five promising defensive plays we saw during the Week 3 victory.

DE Brian Burns’ strip sack

Carolina’s defensive line came to life against the Chargers, getting consistent pressure on rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. Burns was in Herbert’s grill all afternoon, starting with this strip sack.

DT Derrick Brown’s early TFL

The team’s top-10 draft pick flashed in run defense several times, totaling three tackles for a loss. Here’s another angle on his first.

LB/DB Jeremy Chinn shuts down a screen

Chinn has had some issues in coverage and has missed a few tackles, but overall he’s defended at a very high level for a rookie. He played every defensive snap against LA, including this one when he shut down a screen pass for Austin Ekeler.

S Juston Burris blows a play up in the backfield

Here’s a well-timed safety blitz by Burris. He reads the play and blows it up in the backfield, resulting in a huge loss for the Chargers.

CB Donte Jackson’s pick

Here Herbert just simply misread the defense, leading to a relatively easy pick for Donte Jackson.

Related

Panthers rise 4 spots in Week 3 power rankings following first win