Bumpus: How Seahawks’ defense matches up with Panthers

Sep 23, 2023, 1:59 PM

Laviska Shenault Jr. of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 11, 2022. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

BY BRANDON GUSTAFSON

Assistant Editor of SeattleSports.com

The Seattle Seahawks return home this week after picking up a big Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions.

Bump’s Breakdown: How Fant and Lockett came up big for Seattle Seahawks in Detroit

This week’s opponent? The Carolina Panthers.

But the Seahawks will not be seeing quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. He’s been ruled out with an ankle injury.

Instead, Seattle’s defense will face a pretty familiar face in veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, who will be under center leading the Panthers’ offense.

So how does the Seahawks’ defense match up against a Dalton-led Panthers offense? Here’s what former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus said during Thursday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.

Bumpus said that the Seahawks should go into this game with an advantage against Carolina’s passing game, but acknowledged there’s some concern due to the Seahawks struggles in recent years against backup quarterbacks.

“The reason why I feel good about the Hawks against the pass, yes, Andy Dalton is going to be the guy under center and we know how (the Seahawks) play against backup quarterbacks. But I’m watching this film and there’s nobody that’s explosive,” Bumpus said of the Panthers’ receiving corps. “.. And then I go alright, let’s see how many explosive plays these guys had last game? The biggest play from the line of scrimmage was 22 yards … So I’m looking at what I see on film, and then I’m matching it up with the numbers and I go there’s nobody who’s just gonna run by these guys and make them look silly … It looks like the Hawks should be able to handle this receiving corps.”

Where Bumpus thinks the Panthers could find success, however, is on the ground with lead back Miles Sanders.

Sanders hasn’t posted the best numbers so far in his first season in Carolina as he has just 115 yards on 32 carries with no touchdowns, but Bumpus said he “looks like he has some juice.”

“And I gotta remind myself who Miles Sanders is really. Last year he had 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. He is a guy who has the capabiliy of hitting the outside and gaining those extra yards,” he said. ” … You can see the way that he moves … You (also) do have (Chubba) Hubbard back there who had his best game against the Seahawks last year with 74 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t do a lot the rest of the season. But that one-two combo is going to be different.”

Bumpus thinks Sanders is the best running back the Seahawks have faced so far.

” If he can get going, he has the capability of playing well. And this (offensive) line is OK when it comes to blocking,” he said. “So I’m looking at the running game and saying, alright, you can’t let the pass game beat you and I feel good there, so if you can lock these guys down with a run, we can be in for a good one.”