Panthers Week 1 X-factor: How to slow the Bears' potent offense

When you’re overmatched as the Carolina Panthers may be on Sunday against the Chicago Bears—sometimes, you have to pick your battles. Stopping everything that head coach and play-caller Ben Johnson wants to do offensively simply isn’t realistic given the schematic and talent mismatch on that side of the ball.

However, if the Panthers are going to defy the odds and their sorry Week 1 history to pull off a win, they have to find a way to make Chicago’s offense one-dimensional. And the quickest way to do that is by shutting down the Bears’ ground game, which is led by running back D’Andre Swift.

Last season, Swift led the Bears with 1,087 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Backup Kyle Monangai ranked second with 783 rushing yards to go with five scores on the ground. As a team, Chicago ranked third in the NFL with 144.5 rushing yards per game.

Containing that potent rushing attack will be easier said than done, but it’s critical that the Panthers find a way to do so. While defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will direct the symphony from the sideline, it’ll be Pro Bowl inside linebacker Devin Lloyd—who was signed to a three-year, $42 million pact this offseason—who shoulders most of the responsibilities on the field.

Lloyd will likely be the first defender to meet Swift or Monangai once they break past the line of scrimmage, and how well he tackles will play a big role in deciding who wins those matchups.

However, Lloyd’s greater role is as the Panthers’ defensive centerpiece and play-caller. It will be his job to make sure Carolina’s defenders are manning the right gaps and playing as a cohesive unit. That’s the real key to slowing down this Bears run game.

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers Week 1 X-factor: How to slow the Bears’ potent offense