New England Patriots

Super Bowl LI: Why Panthers Fans Should Watch

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:52 p.m. ET

Fansided, Parker Hurley/FanSided via Cat Crave

Carolina Panthers fans need a reason to watch this Super Bowl…

Whether you have the stomach to root for the Patriots or not, every football fan, even those of the Carolina Panthers, will be watching the Super Bowl. The fact of the matter is that the Panthers only play the Patriots every four years, while they play the Falcons twice every season. Panthers fans should be watching to see how the Patriots stop the Falcons because it will be valuable information to use in the future.

Julio Jones

Jones will be the most interesting matchup to follow. Will he be double teamed? Will Malcolm Butler follow him? Does Bill Belichick force the Falcons to use other threats to beat them? This is interesting because most times Belichick completely eliminates a top wide out, such as Antonio Brown or DeAndre Hopkins, there usually is not another secondary weapon to step up.

With the Falcons’ Taylor Gabriel, Mohammed Sanu, and pass catching running backs provide other options. What is the smartest strategy and will the Patriots plan work?

Stop the Run

Aside from Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman being pass catching threats, if the Patriots sell out to stop the pass, these are star-studded running backs that can kill you. Atlanta’s one-two punch will be members of the Falcons for the foreseeable future. How do the Patriots manage to slow down both the air and ground attacks?

Vic Beasley and the Defense

The Falcons bring a defense in with six starters that are either rookies or second-year players. Like the running backs, this will be a problem for Panthers fans for years to come. Do the Patriots slide extra protection over to Beasley? Do they attack the middle and the young linebackers with tight ends and running backs? More important, is how can the Panthers replicate these game plans, if successful. All of these factors will be worth watching on Sunday.