This is going to be a very interesting game with the Panthers coming off their first victory in a swamp in Carolina last weekend over the Jaguars.  The Bears are licking their wounds after getting beat up at Soldier Field by the Packers.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Bears have had huge issues on pass defense as they are giving up 277.3 yards passing per game so far this year.  They are also having big time trouble with TEs, so look for Cam Newton to be looking to drop off passes to Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey early and often in this game.  Cam Newton is going to have to get rid of the ball a little quicker than usual as ex-Panthers’ DE Julius Peppers and the rest of the Bears’ D-Line is going to be bringing a lot of heat.  That might mean that WRs Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell will have to catch shorter passes and make something happen after the grab.  It would really help the Panthers’ offense if they start handing the ball off more to DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart, to help balance the offense and slow the Bears’ pass rush a little bit.

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears are going to probably come out trying to run the ball with Matt Forte quite a bit due to the Panthers’ problems at LB.  Forte also leads the Bears in receiving with 22 grabs for 287 yards (13.0 avg) with 1 TD grab, which is going to put even more pressure on the LBs of the Panthers.  The Panthers need to bring it in the pass rush as Jay Cutler is a little skittish in the pocket due to him already being sacked 14 times this year.  If Cutler has time to throw the ball, he’s going to likely torch a Panthers’ secondary that is allowing 239.7 passing years per game so far this year and opposing QBs have a 108.9 rating against them so far this year.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 24, PANTHERS 17

23-year old Greg Hardy and 25-year old Charles Johnson are both off to excellent starts this year for the Panthers.  Hardy has played in all 3 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 13 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 1 forced fumble.  Johnson has played in all 3 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 11 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 tackles for a loss.  Hardy and Johnson are putting heat on opposing QBs which has forced them to throw the ball a little bit before they want too quite often.  The Panthers need their DEs to keep up the good work the rest of this year.

The Carolina Panthers played well on defense and just good enough to win offensively yesterday.  Cam Newton came back down to Earth a little bit yesterday as he completed 18 of 34 passes for 158 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 7 times for 27 yards (3.9 ypc) in this game.  Jonathan Stewart led the way in the running game for the Panthers as he carried the ball 10 times for 59 yards (5.9 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 26 yards (8.7 avg).  DeAngelo Williams pitched in with 18 yards rushing on 10 carries (1.8 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg) in this game.  TE Greg Olsen led the way in the passing game for the Panthers yesterday as he caught 7 passes for 57 yards (8.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Panthers rushed for 107 yards on 28 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 34 passes (52.9%) for 158 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:34.

The defense was making big play after big play yesterday as they were impressive.  LB James Anderson (9 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed), LB Jason Williams (8 tackles) and CB Captain Munnerlyn (7 tackles) led the way for the Panthers in this game.  DE Greg Hardy (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack (it went for a safety) and 1 QB hit) and safety Sherrod Martin (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had big games for the Panthers yesterday.  The Jaguars rushed for 128 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 21 passes (57.1%) for 129 yards.  The Panthers are now 1-2 on the year.

This will be a very interesting ballgame as the Jaguars are a running team with a solid defense and the Panthers are a passing team with no defense.  Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert will be making his NFL debut as a starting QB for the Jaguars and the Panthers hope to confuse him with coverages and blitzes.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  I don’t see the Panthers changing their style of offense this weekend despite going up against a solid D.  The Panthers are likely going to try to throw the ball a lot early in this game to try to get on the scoreboard and screw up the Jaguars’ offensive game plan.  The Panthers would be smart to mix things up a little more this week and get DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart more involved in this game to try to keep the Jaguars’ defense honest and to slow the pass rush a bit.  Newton will have to be careful when throwing CB Rashean Mathis’ way as he is one of the best corners in the NFL and he will bring out his bag of tricks just like Charles Woodson did last weekend.  Still, that isn’t going to stop Newton from aiming for Steve Smith (14 rec, 334 yards, 2 TDs).  WR Brandon LaFell and TEs Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen are going to get their looks in the passing game too.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Jaguars are averaging 137.5 yards rushing per game and they know the Panthers are hurting at linebacker.  The Panthers are expecting a very heavy dose of Maurice Jones-Drew and Deji Karim in this game.  If they can’t stop the Jaguars’ running game, they could be in deep trouble this Sunday.  TE Marcedes Lewis is likely to return this weekend as well as starting WR Jason Hill.  That will give rookie QB Blaine Gabbert a lot of options against a Panthers’ D that is giving up 295.0 yards passing per game this year.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 23, PANTHERS 20

24-year old Brandon LaFell turned in a solid rookie year for the Panthers in 2010.  He played in 14 games for the Panthers last year and he caught 38 passes for 468 yards (12.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  LaFell has played in both of the games for the Panthers so far this year and he has caught 8 passes for 119 yards (14.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He is going to face single coverage the whole year as teams will be trying to double Steve Smith, so LaFell should continue to put up solid numbers in 2011.

22-year old rookie QB Cam Newton has really burst onto the scene for the Panthers so far.  In his first two games, Newton has completed 52 of 83 passes (62.7%) for 854 yards with 3 TD passes and 4 INTs (89.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 18 times for 71 yards (3.9 ypc) so far this year with 2 TD runs.  I will be the first one to admit I was wrong so far about Newton.  But, he will need to cut down on his interceptions if he wants to be considered an elite QB in the NFL down the road.  The Panthers are looking light years better than they were last year despite and 0-2 start, and Newton is the biggest reason for that.

The Panthers have claimed 25-year old linebacker Jason Phillips off waivers from the Cowboys.  Phillips played in 9 games for the Ravens last year and he had 5 tackles.  The Panthers are injured ravaged at linebacker right now, so Phillips is going to get a chance to play some on defense right away.

The Panthers have lost 28-year old LB Thomas Davis for the season for the second year in a row to a torn ACL.  Davis played in both games for the Panthers this year and he had 12 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.  He has now played in 71 games in his first 7 years with the Panthers and he has 402 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 22 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  The Panthers are really hurting at linebacker now as they have already lost Jon Beason and Thomas Davis for the year.

The Panthers put up a good fight with the Packers but they fell short in the home opener yesterday.  Cam Newton was solid again as he completed 28 of 46 passes for 432 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions (they were costly ones).  He also carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards (5.3 ypc) with 1 TD run in this game.  DeAngelo Williams only carried the ball 5 times for 13 yards (2.6 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 23 yards (5.8 avg) in this game.  Jonathan Stewart only carried the ball 6 times for 5 yards (0.8 ypc) yesterday but he also caught 8 passes for 100 yards (12.5 avg).  WR Steve Smith led the way in the passing game again for the Panthers as he caught 6 passes for 156 yards (26.0 avg).  TE Jeremy Shockey (3 rec, 56 yards) and WR Brandon LaFell (4 rec, 49 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Panthers in the passing game.  The Panthers rushed for only 71 yards on 21 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 46 passes (60.9%) for 404 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:34.

The defense didn’t play too well for the Panthers yesterday.  LB James Anderson led the way for the Panthers with 9 tackles.  LB Thomas Davis (5 tackles), safety Charles Godfrey (5 tackles) and DE Charles Johnson (4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) also had solid games for the Panthers’ D in this game.  Safety Sean Considine had a fumble recovery for the Panthers in this game.  The Packers finished up with 124 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 30 passes (63.3%) for 295 yards.  The Panthers are now 0-2 on the year.

The Panthers played hard but they lost last weekend against the Cardinals.  Breakdowns defensively and on special teams ruined the fact that Cam Newton threw for 422 yards in his NFL debut.  This weekend is going to be a much tougher test for Cam Newton and the rest of the Panthers.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers really need to get back to running the ball this weekend.  The defense is going to have huge issues in dealing with the Packers’ offense, so it would be smart of the Panthers to try to play keepaway with the ball.  DeAngelo Williams (12 carries, 30 yards, 2.5 ypc) and Jonathan Stewart (7 carries, 26 yards, 3.7 ypc) will need to step up against a Packers’ D that only allowed 81 yards on 21 carries (3.7 ypc) against the Saints.  Steve Smith (8 rec, 178 yards, 2 TDs) is going to be covered by CB Tramon Williams.  Newton is going to have to be careful when throwing to Smith as Williams is a playmaker on D for the Pack.  Newton should have success using the TEs against Nick Collins and Morgan Burnett of the Packers.  Newton will have to make quick and solid decisions as OLBs Clay Matthews and Erik Walden are going to he chasing him around the whole game.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Panthers are going to have to put some pressure on Aaron Rodgers or the DBs are going to have a long day.  DEs Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy are going to have to beat the Packers’ OTs and get in Rodgers’ face.  That is easier said than done.  CB Chris Gamble did an outstanding job in covering Larry Fitzgerald.  The problem the Panthers are going to have is that Rodgers throws the ball to everyone and he will find mis-matches on the field.  Dan Connor and the rest of the front seven will have to be ready to stop the Packers’ running game as James Starks and Ryan Grant are solid RBs.

PREDICTION:  PACKERS 34, PANTHERS 13