Week 1 Week 2 Chart Not the prettiest game to watch and quite frankly, it's just our defensive backfield that has looked sloppy. While we haven't gotten a TON of pressure on the quarterback, the results shown suggest that we are getting some. What seemed liked a quiet game for Matthews was actually a lot better than advertised. Here were the plays in which Matthews was directly involved in the backfield as I saw it:
1.
1Q (HIT): 3-6-CAR 42 (13:09) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short right to 80-J.Shockey to GB 40 for 18 yards (24-J.Bush) [52-C.Matthews].
2.
1Q (HURRY): 1-10-GB 26 (9:13) 1-C.Newton pass short middle to 34-D.Williams to GB 23 for 3 yards (93-E.Walden).
3.
1Q (HURRY): 3-4-GB 5 (8:18) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short middle to 28-J.Stewart to GB 2 for 3 yards (55-D.Bishop).
4.
2Q (HIT): 3-3-CAR 25 (8:31) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton sacked at CAR 12 for -13 yards (55-D.Bishop).
5.
2Q (HURRY): 1-10-CAR 32 (3:50) 1-C.Newton scrambles up the middle to CAR 39 for 7 yards (93-E.Walden).
6.
2Q (HURRY): 1-10-GB 41 (:37) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass incomplete short right to 11-B.LaFell.
7.
3Q (HURRY): 2-9-CAR 21 (11:50) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass short right intended for 89-S.Smith INTERCEPTED by 21-C.Woodson at CAR 25. 21-C.Woodson to CAR 20 for 5 yards (89-S.Smith).
8.
3Q (1/2 HURRY): 1-10-CAR 23 (5:37) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton pass incomplete deep right to 17-L.Naanee (42-M.Burnett).
9.
4Q (SACK): 1-10-GB 12 (5:22) (Shotgun) 1-C.Newton sacked at GB 12 for 0 yards (52-C.Matthews).
Of his 9 backfield disruptions, the plays included 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 teammate sack, and 1 3rd down stop. Not that bad of a game. For the record, I count a hurry as a play in which the pass rusher directly impacts the quarterback in making a meaningful decision.
As for the secondary, looks like Newton had no problem going after Woodson in this game. As I said before the game, I wasn't surprised that Woodson got the brunt of the Steve Smith work this week. I'm not sure he's anymore of the best cover corners in the game. He's still a tremendously impactful player, but not the type of guy Tramon is and certainly not close to the level of Darrelle or Nnamdi in that regard either. Still a terrific player, but I think we are starting to see a bit of a downhill progression.
Burnett looked very good once again. He got a number of single high opportunities and did a nice job showing range. He had his fair share of 1v1 match-ups on the perimeter as well. Aside from allowing the 34 yard completion to Olsen in which he was essentially beat off the snap, he held his own in a variety of assignments. Looking forward to hopefully seeing him become a player for us over the upcoming season. With Nick gone, he's going to be a pivotal part of our defense. Peprah simply doesn't have the range to make me comfortable if he's sitting in a single high over top. I really hope our corners step it up if we're going to be using him consistently in that role.
Our linebackers continue to do a nice job controlling traffic underneath for the most part. They get great depth in their zone drops protecting the second level, but can be occasionally vulnerable to underneath crossing routes. Saw some confusion there this week allowing a couple guys to streak open. A couple of the completions marked "Other" should have been penciled in on their watch, but camera angles didn't allow for it.
Bottom line, we have plenty to improve. While the pass rush is a concern, I'm slightly more concerned with the general state of our secondary. Tramon should be a HUGE boost and judging by this game, we'll need it.