Sunday’s game in Washington was the best defensive performance the Carolina Panthers have put forth since Week 1. Adrian Peterson was able to pick up a few first downs with his legs http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com/jarius-wright-jersey-authentic , but the Panthers counterbalanced that by stifling Washington’s aerial attack. The Panthers held their opposition to just 4.3 yards per play and kept them out of the end zone for the final 48 minutes of the game. There were some warts, like the third down defense, but it was a strong showing overall for a group that had been the team’s Achilles heel in recent weeks. They’ll need to carry that upward momentum into Philadelphia where they’ll face an Eagles team that’s much bigger threat than their most recent opponent. The Eagles enter the week flying high after a Thursday night dismantling of a Giants team that gave the Panthers all they could handle. It looked like a coming out party for an Eagles offense that has thus far failed to recapture the offensive magic that helped carry them to a Super Bowl victory last season. The lack of success to this point in the season is not a reason to take this Eagles offense lightly. Most of the same cast has returned from last season. Running backs LaGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi are gone, as well as current Panther Torrey Smith, but the most important pieces are still there. Carson Wentz is rounding back into form and playing like his old self. Alshon Jeffery is coming off a two touchdown performance in his third game back from shoulder surgery. Zach Ertz is a nightmare. The list goes on. The Panthers defense needs to make big impact if the team is going to fly back to Charlotte with a 4-2 record. Philadelphia has a strong defense in its own right http://www.panthersfootballauthentic.com/da_norris-searcy-jersey-authentic , so asking the offense to carry the load like they did against the Bengals and Giants might be asking too much. Here’s what the defense needs to do:Pressure and sack Carson Wentz. The Eagles have allowed 48 quarterback hits so far this season, the 4th most in the NFL. Wentz is a sack escape artist, much like Cam Newton, and its vital that the pass rush finish the job when they get into the backfield. The third year quarterback has only thrown one interception this season, and he’s throwing into tight windows less than almost any other quarterback in the league Womens David Mayo Jersey , so just getting in his face probably won’t be enough to make a splash impact. Lock down the intermediate area of the field in the passing game. This should come easy to a Panthers defense that prioritizes getting depth in their zones and keeping pass plays in front of them. Wentz’s best area of the field is between 10 and 20 yards downfield. He’s not an exceptional short passer, so some pressure could force him to air mail some short passes to open receivers. But he’ll tear teams apart on deep digs and post routes. The Panthers have to be ready to take those away. Don’t play for punts on 4th and short. The Eagles are again among the most aggressive teams in the league at going for it on 4th down. Stopping them for a five yard gain on 3rd and 7 is far from a sure bet to get the Eagles offense off the field. The defense needs to treat 3rd down as if it were 2nd down once the Eagles get anywhere near midfield. The Panthers defense is in for a tough test on Sunday. Last week they showed signs of being the strong unit many pegged them to be before the season. They need to build on that success and make their mark on the game if the Panthers want to knock the reigning Super Bowl champions to a sub-.500 record.How many games will the Carolina Panthers win in 2018? With the 2018 season kicking off this week, it’s time for each of us in the Cat Scratch Reader community to officially go on record and predict how many games the Panthers will win this year. I’m going to go out on a limb and make my predictions in this column and I would ask that each of you do the same in the comments below so we can see how the CSR community is feeling about the 2018 squad. And just think, if you get your prediction right in the comments you can go back at the end of the season and show everyone how dang smart you are. Here are my wild guesses:Week 1 vs. Dallas Cowboys - Win. The Panthers front seven takes full advantage of a Dallas offensive line to stuff the run and the Cowboys sub-par receivers are held in check. Week 2 at Atlanta Falcons - Loss. Carolina’s thin secondary struggles to stop Matt Ryan on the road. Julio Jones single-handedly wins the week for his fantasy owners. Week 3 vs. Cincinnati Bengals - Win. The Panthers pull out a low-scoring home win as Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap Womens Devin Funchess Jersey , and the Bengals defense make life hard on Carolina’s unpredictable offensive line.Week 4 ByeWeek 5 vs. New York Giants - Win. Carolina comes off the bye week to pull out a high-scoring home win against a Giants team featuring a rejuvenated offense but a weak pass defense. Week 6 at Washington - Win. Two really solid defenses slug it out for four quarters, but Carolina’s offense is just simply better than Washington’s. Week 7 at Philadelphia Eagles - Loss. Going on the road to face the defending Super Bowl champions is never easy, and the Eagles take this one. Week 8 vs. Baltimore Ravens - Win. Carolina eeks out a home win against a feisty Ravens team which will struggle to get pressure on Cam Newton (PFF ranks Baltimore’s pass rush 25th in the NFL). Week 9 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Win. The Bucs are one of the league’s worst teams and the Panthers blow the doors off their NFC South rivals. Week 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers - Loss. A shaky Carolina secondary gets exposed by Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Week 11 at Detroit Lions - Loss. The Panthers cornerbacks struggle for the second week in a row as Matt Stafford picks apart the secondary. Ron Rivera benches or cuts a CB after this game to shake things up.Week 12 vs. Seattle Seahawks - Win. Kawann Short, Dontari Poe, and Luke Kuechly wreak havoc against an overwhelmed Seahawks offensive line as the Panthers pull out a physical slugfest at home. Week 13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Win. Tampa Bay’s season is all but over at this point and the Panthers come up with a road win. Week 14 at Cleveland Browns - Win. Carolina cruises to an easy road win as they gear up for a grueling three-game stretch to end the season. Week 15 vs. New Orleans Saints - Loss. The Saints beat the Panthers three times in 2017 Womens James Bradberry Jersey , playoffs included, and Carolina’s secondary remains unable to slow down Drew Brees and the Saints passing game.Week 16 vs. Atlanta Falcons - Loss. The Falcons receivers find open spaces and terrorize the Panthers struggling secondary. Week 17 at New Orleans Saints - Loss. Once again, the Saints passing game is more than Carolina’s corners can handle as the Panthers drop their third straight game to close out the regular season. Overall I have the Panthers going 9-7 with most of the losses coming against teams with pass-oriented offenses led by elite quarterbacks. If you can’t tell, I see the secondary as this year’s Achilles heel.Most NFL pundits predict the Panthers registering somewhere between seven and nine wins. The 9-7 record I’m predicting makes Carolina a fringe playoff team so I’ll be optimistic and say they somehow sneak into the postseason as the NFC South once again sends three teams to the playoffs. I’m officially on the record. Now it’s your turn by voting below and immortalizing your prediction in the comments.