
1. Mobility will only get Cam Newton so far:
The Baltimore Ravens had no problem sacking Marcus Mariota, who is about as mobile as any NFL quarterback not named Lamar Jackson. The Ravens recorded 11 sacks against Tennessee. Drew Brees showed the NFL how the Baltimore defense can get beat. Brees got rid of the football quickly and he only got sacked once. Two things went into this, Brees is the most accurate passer you or I have ever seen and Michael Thomas is an incredible receiver. Newton is a good pocket passer, but he’s best when he can extend plays and roll out of the pocket. That style is going to rack up a body count against the Ravens.
The Ravens have the number one passing defense in the NFL. Even against Brees, they only allowed 212 yards through the air. The Panthers are a run first offense and their passing attack isn’t setting the world on fire. While Newton is having a fairly good season with 11 touchdowns and just four picks, Carolina has the 22nd ranked passing attack. Newton is outmatched and will feel like he has to be Superman to make this game a win for the Panthers.
Think about the Ravens best defensive efforts this season. They shutout the Titans with 11 sacks. With Mariota, the Baltimore defense really used his athleticism against them. They made him run himself into bad spots. They gave up a good bit of yards to the Browns but they held Cleveland to nine points in regulation and sacked Baker Mayfield five times. The Ravens only got one sack on Ben Roethlisberger, but they also contained him and made him frustrated. Newton and Big Ben are very similar quarterbacks. They’re big, athletic and they have a ton of arm talent. Baltimore has done the best against mobile quarterbacks this season.