The Group Chat Episode 16: Boom Goes The Dynamite

they're well positioned for us. We have all of that and much more on this week's the group chat. You've been added to the group chat with your friends Caroline, can Max Sensen, and Will Brian. All Right, groupies, we are back from our relaxing, exciting Bill and the Blink. How would you describe your bye week? Boys? Relaxing is a good word. I would use that word well because yours relaxed. Yours a little more strenuous. Yeah, was a little more energetic. I you know, I had to um

to work off some of those London pounds. But yeah, welcome back. Oh gosh, mine was relaxing. Um a bit, a bit full of activities, so I'm I'm a little under the weather. If you can't tell. I feel like this happens every single year when we slow down, you know, we're go, go, go, go go. And then I took two days of just laying around and my body was like cool, yeah, let's get sick. So I'm a little let's get sick. So I'm a little bit under the weather.

But that's okay. That's why I sound a little nasally out there for all of you who are listening. But we're back, and it's crazy that we are to the halfway point in this season. It always flies by. If we count the preseason and all of that, we are past halfway. But we are to the halfway point of the regular season, heading out to send Francisco, the undefeated team in the NFL one of them. Anyways, someone's gotta

beat him. I say, why not the Panthers. But before we get there, we're going to do a little recap to just get everyone up to speed because we took this week off. Monday was the most Monday of Mondays as we got back into the rhythm of this whole season thing like Monday too, didn't it. Yeah, this whole week is just maybe by Thursday Mondays this week and the rain raining. You know, we taped this on Tuesday, and if you're in the Charlotte area, it's just gross

outside today. So we're going to do a recap though, to get us up to speed to where we are currently in the season. So we we're going to do our best, maybe dramatic readings. I believe Will has some dramatics for us. I'm gonna try this is. This is gonna be fun. I believe, I believe in you for this. So the way that we split this up was we each took two games, and Will, just being Will, he took the O and two start. We we were gonna draw straws for this, but Will more or less volunteered. Yeah,

it's uh, I got the ones that built character. Yeah, so one way of putting it, Yeah, that's been you can't you can't go four and two without starting, oh and two. You can't have a four game winning streak and be the comeback kids. You're right without starting, You're you're so right. So, without further ado, this is the season in sixty seconds or so, because we don't really time this out. So will Europe on the banks of

the Cataba River in the Queen City. It was a hot day in Charlotte with the defending NFC champion Rams coming to town. Wow, that was quite an intial. We're already got like thirty seconds left. Panthers get the ball opening drive fumba d J Moore slide, Joey slide missed a long field goal. Ram score or go up three? Nothing questionable lateral? Was it a forward pass? I don't know. Rams get the ball back. Score now it's thirteen three.

Rams lead a half. Finally cut into sixteen ten on a direct snap to Christian McCaffrey in the third quarter, but the Rams went to Sony five yards thirteen plays for a touchdown to go back up to the fourth block, but Germain Carter Christian McCaffrey lounges for the touchdown and then interception, but Cam Newton can't hit Curtis Samuel on third down. Rams get it back. Anthers cut into three, but it is too little, too late in the on site kick goes back to the Rams. Rams winn. That

was better than I was expecting. I'm sorry that I set did remind me of Boom goes to Dynamite Boom goes to b uh Eddie throws it, throws it to the other guy. Guy gets touched to Boom, goes down all right, So that's oh and one for the Panthers. Take it away. Four days later, Thursday night football in the Queen City, the Buccaneers in town. I think we should do all the weekends. Fourth and one. Cam Newton

steaked to the right, can't pick it up. Review, no good rain now, trade field goals, lots of punts right before the half, long throw to Mike Evans setting up Chris Godwin touchdown. Bucks go up at halftime. Fifty four yards Sly field goal right before the half cuts at the ten nine, but the Panthers still trailing. Panthers don't

do well when they trail at half period. We know that the fourth Sly field goal gives Panthers a twelve ten lead, but a seventy five yards Tampa Bay touchdown drive gives the Bucks the ball and the lead back. A punt pins the Bucks deep and in their own territory. Luke Keikley slides in for the safety, cut it to three, but the Panthers can't hits Chris Curtis Samuel on third

down yet again. I love how you're like looking at me as you're doing like turning like Panthers the ball back down six with just two minutes thirty seconds left. Cam Newton completes five passes to get into the red zone, down to the two yard line, fourth and one came, rolls to the right, moves to the right, stands there. Chris McCaffrey gets the ball all the way to the left,

can't get it in. Panthers lose. It was bouch. I think I think I'm going to have to reconsider how I do all the point after podcast, I think it just needs to be reading. My favorite part of that was will you take me back to something something rain, rain, when the rain, When the rain came, the rain came. I love how you did the rain. The rain came, and rain four the one Panthers can't get it rain. I think he said, rain now, right now, right now,

rain now? All right. Well, mine surely not going to be as good, but I get to start the winning streak. So like a night in shining Armor. Kyle Allen started his homecoming parade in Arizona, where he said backup quarterbacks around the world except for that opening drive fumble, but we forgot about that because then he went on to make all the plays that we had been waiting for. He finds christ go for a touchdown that a deep bought of DJ Moore, and then old people with greg

Olsen and it was so nice. He wanted to do it twice, but really it should have been three times. When we forget about that too, because he put the cherry on top of the game with another greg Olsen passing touchdown in the Panthers leave Arizona with their first one. That was a lot of a lot of phrases there, thank you. I'm really on the cool on him, like pop culture cherry, cherry on top, cherry on top, homecoming if it was just Beyonce. So then back up quarterback

around the world with me here. Okay, so they're one and two. Then Allen and the Panthers to step their way over to Texas where the defendant an FC South champions. Uh they get They get an ice cold bottle of Christian McCaffrey and a shifty Cam Newton like Kyle Allen except for those fumbles again, but we don't You're we're not talking about those, because Allen evades the bull rush from j J was armor, let me come on, come on all right? And then you know what else? This

team had a pass rush. The world met the Sack Street Boys, and their dominating reign of terror began. Through four weeks of football, the Panthers were tied for first with eighteen sacks. And that was just the beginning. We know that. So the team left Texas with the team back at five hundred. This guy that we thought was falling after that Tampa Bay game, it's being held up in the team. They're coming home. So where are We're two and two now until we're coming into menshew Mania

Hall of Honor week. In Charlotte home game, home game, Panthers looking for that first home victory, and Chris McCaffrey got things started with the five yard touchdown run. But d J. Chark, who proved to be pretty much uncoverable throughout this game, was battling back for the Jacksonville Jaguars. You knew early on it was just gonna be a

hotly contested one. Two good teams going at it like Affrey and Chart back and forth with touchdowns and Brian Burns with Carolina's first defensive touchdown on the year, the scoop and score thanks Tomorio Addison, complete rump Andrew Norwell, Yes, the rumbling, someone mumbling, Um, I'm mumbling right now too.

It's all an effect. It's an effect then, And how could you not mention this two five yards total on the ground for Carolina's offensive line, highlighted by Christians eighty four yard touchdown run and not to be outdone, Reggie Bonifant, coming in with Christian stuff from from some cramps gets a fifty nine yard touched now run of his own.

But we would be remiss if we did not mention the halftime performance from the one and only Age and eighty nine Steve Smith, who incident Steth Carolina came out starts second half on fire. I think not That speech where he rips off the jacket the jersey underneath from his Super Bowl season wearing eighty nine was a moment that I believe Will Brian maybe had some tears in his eyes. Max did too. No Bill cried for Jake Delone. You cried for it for Will, I cried for everyone cried.

Don't cry for me, Argentina. Everyone cried for Well, but you cried for Agent nine. Will cry for Ja Yes, so Panthers get their first home win in the year. Then it's back on the road, this time across the pond to London. London was calling and the Panthers answered. He knew right off the bat it's gonna be a good day for Carolina. Jameis Winston drows an interception to

James Bradberry on the first player of the game. This was the Jamis Panther fans wanted to see the one who doesn't protect the football and it was a long day for the Buccaneers. Seven turnovers, Carolina taking the ball away seven times in addition to how many sacks will seven sacks? Uh. It was a bit of mayhem all across the board for the Buccaneers, and the Panthers kind of had their had their way. This was not a

game they needed to lean on. Christi mccaffreol did, though he did have that one spectacular stiff arms spin made Vernon Hargraves take a seat on the turf. But this was a day that had to Curtis, Samuel greg Olson, D J. Moore, all involved with the defense, of course, doing what they did to have Carolina head home with a well deserved victory, and here we are. It is now the forty Niners week. Kyle Allen still your starting quarterback.

Sack Street Boys, we don't even call like the Sack Street Boys are better than we thought they would be, So I don't even are we calling them the Sax Street Boys. Do you think they're better than like you think that wasn't that? I mean, do you think that they are who we thought they were? Did we let him off? The Danny Green coming into the show? Um, they're better. They're everywhere I think right. I mean this, they're on pace for an NFL record for sacks in

a single season. I mean, this is a tough pace to keep up, but I love that they're so confident in it too, Like when asked about they're like, yeah, we can get that, and you believe them. And without and without KK, which is still amazing to me. I mean, I did not see that this guy. I thought the KK Andrew is gonna be really tough on over Brendon Butler had one and a half sacks, was his career

high an entire season. He had two strip sacks and two plays It fantastics, Like those are the moments that everyone whether it's been in like little league soccer or whatever you have dreamt about, like a redemption play like that, Like all right, I can't believe they call that on me, Like all right, I'm gonna get it this time, and

you don't, but Vernon did. There's an incredible picture from the opposite end zone from one of our great photographers of the In the back the background is the Panthers like on the ball and it's just burning on its knees, just doing this. It's it's such a cool picture, such a cool moment. So here we are this forty Niners team.

I don't know about you, guys, I wasn't really paying attention to them at the beginning of the season, like I knew, like, okay, that's after the buy and I kind of split this season up until before the bye. It's like BC and you know, after death, that's how we are. So this was like pre buy, I didn't really think about him. But then all of a sudden, here they are undefeated. They just had a slipping slide game, like their confidence is through the roof and the Panthers

have to travel to San Francisco. This is a really big game. It's not it's one of those like out of division games that you really think as far as like like, this is a really big statement if Kyle Allen and that offense can go in there and and have a good day like that. Yeah, come on, this is I think the consensus best defense in the NFL. Um. They're giving up like just over ten points a game, which is ridiculous getting after the passer not quite as

well as Carolina is. As you know, Carolina is just an absolute terror. But between Bosa and Armstead and d Ford, I mean, those guys are completely freaking have it. And in terms of their actual yards allowed, I mean that's part of the problem with a little bit with the Panthers right now. They're getting the sacks, but they're still

giving up some pass yards. Niners defense has just been phenomenal. Um. Yeah, if you give the quarterback time back there, if he has time, that's where the players are being given up. But there's not a lot of time right So the Fortnight's defense has been rocks out. I don't know what to make of their offense yet. Garoppolo has not been great, but of course, if you're a quarterback when undefeated football team,

you're doing something right. They clearly have enough. George Kittle is one of the better tight ends in the league. They've got a good offensive line and a running game that's been something that they can lean on. Bottom line is they're really good. I mean, anytime you're going to face an undefeated team, I think, okay, clearly they're they've got something figured out. As you mentioned, Caroline, they're confident bunch,

which I think is only making them better. Right now, when you've got a team that sort of feels like they're gonna go out there and win every game, you kind of see that. This feels a lot to me like two thousand and thirteen and well, I know we were talking about this in the office before Carolina went

out to San Francisco. Back when the Niners. This was like the Kaepernick, Uh Navarro bowman Patrick Willis days of hardball, where like the Niners were the class of the NFC and the Panthers went out there and no one was really quite sure if the Panthers were for real. They had had some good VIT wins, people were still kind of on the fence one way or the other, though they hadn't really gone and be somebody where it was like Okay, now we're taking them seriously. This sort of

feels like the same opportunity for Carolina, right. I mean, Kyle Allen keeps winning, but everyone's still kind of has in the back of their mind these doubts about like, well, you know, look at the level of competition. We haven't seen again this or that whatever. Everyone's gonna make excuses for Kyle's performance. Right now, this is a game you go out and you beat this Niners team, who, as we said, has this dominant defense. I don't know what else you can say other than that Kyle Allen and

this Panthers team is for real. I think that this is, as you as you mentioned, a statement opportunity for this team. It absolutely is. And I think it's like one of those where they're not expected to win. No one is going to pick the Panthers and any pick them, you know,

for this week. So if you can go out there and make a statement like this, and if you just look at the NFC in general, the way that it's shaking out a NFC South, the way that it's shaking out like this is a game that really puts the Saints on notice because what they've been able to do with no Drew Brees right now, has really you know, I mean, they are taking the NFC South right now

the way that it's it's playing out. But you go out and beat the front runner in the NFC, Saints are gonna start paying attention way more than they are right now to the Panthers because they're in the same boat. I mean, you have two backup quarterbacks in the NFC South that are leading the NFC South, but you send one out to go beat the forty Niners who are on top of the entire NFC right now. Like if I was the Saints, I'd be like, huh yeah, Well,

and you you have to keep pace. I mean you you you have a game at at San Francisco, at Green Bay. You still have to play at New Orleans at Indianapolis. You know who's pretty good right now. I mean that's and you're still a game behind New Orleans. They don't have Drew Brees and they've won five in a row. I mean, they are tearing teams up. I mean you've got to keep pace with them, and you've got to keep pace with these wild card teams in

the NFC. Well, this is where you get excited for the fact that the Panthers have a defense then the way that they're playing right now, because you're right, San Francisco's offense hasn't been you know, hands down phenomenal, but their defense is holding teams to average team points like that's why they're winning. So you put that then where you know, have the Panthers defense keep having the games that they're having to keep them on pace. I think

this offense is allowed to, you know, not be perfect. Yeah, and you know, I should have pointed out that two thirteen game ended with a ten nine Carolina victory. I wouldn't be surprised if it's another low scoring affair in San Francisco this time around, and you've got two heavyweight style defenses going at it. As Caroline has got to clean up some of the big plays, as you mentioned in San Francisco has a little bit been a little more consistent across the board and really just clamping down

on teams um. But I would fully anticipate this to be one of those defensive slugfests, and I think Caroline is built to handle that. Kyle Allen has not thrown an interception yet this season, and we kind of joked about the fumbles a little bit. Yeah, knocking, knocking on the table, but he's done a really good job protecting the football. I think this is gonna be one of those games where it's gonna be who protects a football better, who wins the field position battle, who's able to just

get a couple scoring drives out of this? Because we know these defenses are gonna come to play, and these did These defenses make big plays. I mean, that's what we've seen the last couple of from Carolina is not only are they they're stopping people, they're turning things into points which offense can avoid catastrophe. Because I think almost what this is going to come down to you, because these defenses are capable of creating that, no doubt. So

let's go insider or what do you have? Well, yeah, so while we're talking about San Francisco's offense, I looked this up. Their second in rushing in the NFL. They're one of two teams that have three running backs over two hundred yards. Can we name their three running backs? Well, obviously the first one is the one that most people probably still don't know, right, Breda, Right, who's just kind of this no name running back who has done great for them. I know there's a former Falcon who's in

their back. The third one is the one that I would monstered. I couldn't given right, but I mean, but yeah, Matt Matt Brado went into the concussion protocol at Washington, so we'll be checking on I think he did. He did kind of come back out and say I think I like poton. I right, So it was it wasn't actually, so I expect to see him. And obviously with Panthers, no, Tevin Coleman quite well, he's given them some trouble over the years with Atlanta. So yeah, this this run game

right and there in seventy two yards a game. And if we're gonna take another look at Caroline's defense, one area that they haven't been at their best so far has been the run defense. Yep. They've been exposed at times throughout the year, giving up some chunk plays in

the ground. So, uh, that has got to be showing up in a situation like this against the Niners team that is what you would describe as a physical football team, great defense, They want to run the football, so that's one thing to watch them, and that that's a great match up there to to keep an eye on. But

let's go insider for a minute. What is one thing that you're looking forward to or that you're keeping an eye on this week as we are closer and closer to the game, whether it's a player, a matchup, or anything coming off the by yeah, I mean it's hard not to start with Christian because again Tampa Bay, I thought that like did a really good job against him in the run game. He had what one point four

yards per carry in London? That makes I have that right, Yeah, two carries thirty one yards and again, as I mentioned in our sixty second recap, he had that one incredible play. But the Buccaneers have kind of put out a bit of a blueprint for shutting down McCaffrey or limiting him. Uh, And I just wonder if the Niners are going to employ the similar tactic and if they'll be successful doing that.

And if that's the case, the Buccaneers defense is dead last in past defense, right, so they were given something up the Niners. If they can shut down McCaffrey, I wonder how Kyle can then handle that. If they're going to put it on Kyle Allen to beat them. Howell Kyle rise to that challenge on the road against the San Francisco team that, as we've said, has been pinning

their ears back and getting after quarterbacks all seasons. Well, and and we said that after week two as well, that the Bucks shut McCaffrey down then, and it was kind of like, oh no, now the blueprints out there, and then the next four weeks, what did you do? You know? So I think certainly, you know, a good defense can use that blueprint, but they've got to execute. I mean, you still have to have players execute zone defense. When you do a zone run, they've got to fill

their gaps like they've got to do the right thing. Yeah, and I'm curious to see how Carolina handles coming off the by too, right. I mean, you know, I feel like this is a pretty good time to get the

Niners if they take advantage of this off week. I mean, look at San Francisco's last game, right, that mud Bowl they played in as Yeah, they're of course they're happy to come out of that with the victory, but that wasn't exactly a clean football performance and it was anything but right, No one knows literally, Yeah, So you're coming out of that game if you're the Niners, like kind of off rhythm because the offense for either team in

that game they're playing in Washington, could not do anything. They essentially both teams were handing the ball off every other play more so than that after some batter interceptions with thrown. So it's like that. I feel like the Niners are sort of thrown off track a little bit just because of what that game was. Like, I like this Stine, right, so now you got you got arrested,

you got arrested. Panthers team that's rolling with four wins in a row, they're used to traveling long distances, just the from this London road trip. Now it's another long road trip here against the Niners. We saw they had success with the two day trip out to Arizona earlier in the year. So if Carolina can get some guys back. We're looking at Trey Turner, looking at Greg Little, We're looking at Dante Jackson. What a nice boost would be to get some of these guys back in the lineup.

It just seems like there's some positive momentum here for Caroline. I'm going into what we all will admit is the toughest game they've got so far, but it does seem like they're well positioned for it. And Ron Rivera's first four years as Caroline's coach, Carolina went oh and four after the bye week. Yeah, he did not like answer in those questions in the last four years their four Now after the bye week, it's turned. It's turned. Oh,

how the turntables have to turn? Another thing that I'm watching this offensive line because, like you mentioned, you could get some guys back, but this offensive line has been working, and so I always get interested when it's not so much like the big names on the offensive line. It's not it's not the guys that you know, we're gonna all the posters and you know, get everyone excited about coming to the game. It's just about the five guys

that work best together. And I think the great thing about this offensive line is there's going to be depth when you get those guys back. But then who's your starting five. I think there's a real question mark around who is your starting five. Trade Turner he's the leader, you plug him back in, but then you have really three guys that can fight for that fifth position that have played, that have traded in and out and that

it's worked. So I'm very curious to see, you know, once trade Turner is back and he's plugged back in there, how does the line shake out, because because it's it's something that you know, I always pull from. You always pull for your past, and my past is with Indie when they were trying to find their offensive line in twenty you know, seventeen. They finally found it in eighteen, but it was after the first five weeks of the

season when it was the plug and play. They were trading people in and out, and they end up with a rookie left right tackle and and he was drafted as a guard and then you put him there, and it was just those were the five that worked best together. It wasn't that that was the plan, but because of injuries, that had to slide guys around, and then they were like, these five work. The rest of you that we're supposed to be starters, you're now backups because these guys work.

So I'm so interested to see that once they started getting some of these healthy guys back and you're you're plugging them in, they've been really successful. The bar is set very high. I'm interested to see who ends up being, you know, in Week ten, who's the starting Yeah. And in my experience, the best offensive lines have been the ones that have adopted that approach where it's just been like, we need the five best guys out there, and whatever it's gonna take wherever it has to move around to

make that possible, that's what we're gonna do. This is a great problem to have, but it is an interesting problem, right. I mean, with Trey Turner comes back into the lineup, where does Darryl Williams fit in? UM? You know, Greg Little was drafted to be the left tackle of the future. They like him at left tackle. Dennis Daley was Pro Football Focus is highest graded offensive tackle in the league last time Carolina played UM. Dennis has position flexibility though

he can play guard. UM. So, I don't know right now sitting here what they'll what they'll do, but this is the type of situation you want to be in if you're a team, right, you want to have this sort of depth to where it's like, man, somebody's gonna be the odd man out just because we have too many good options. And that has not been the case

in Carolina for a while. The offensive line has been an area that they've tried to address depthwise for years and now they're in a position thanks to Marty Herney making some choices in the draft with Greg Little and

Dennis Daily have proven that they can handle themselves. So yeah, when this offensive lines at full strength, unfortunately there's only room for five and we'll see how it's great about this team that they're not like the outliers of like, oh well, this isn't how you build a roster, but it seems to be working like you here every single year at the combine and at the draft. You have to you know, start in the trenches. Your lines have to be you know, the best. That's where you're gonna

put your focus. That's what this team has done. The offensive and defensive lines are very very good. This is not a fluke that they've had this you know success in these last four games, are starting to figure it out because a lot of those you know, lines of working together is continuity. It took them a little bit to get into that, but these past four games and they've certainly shown what they are capable of. So it's a big, big week heading out to San Francisco. The

team will leave on Friday Free Day on Saturday. Whoop, whoop? What are you gonna do? Max? San fran is a fun city foodie. Yeah, there's gonna be some foodie spots I'm gonna hit for sure. For me, it's a bit of a family reunion opportunity. My sister lives in San Francisco, my brother is not far he's in Tahoe now, so it's gonna be the Henson siblings getting together for some fun out by the bay. So that'll be pretty cool.

That is a lot of fun. Well, guys, we appreciate you joining us on this week of the group Chat. We will talk to you all next week and hopefully we're talking about a big upset on the Bay area by guys. Wow.