During the fourth quarter of the Carolina Panthers’ 27-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Saturday’s NFC Wild Card matchup, Luke Kuechly made a play on the ball as a Cover 2 linebacker that reminded me of Brian Urlacher defending the middle of the field.
With Larry Fitzgerald running the inside seam route, Kuechly read the eyes of quarterback Ryan Lindley, created an angle to the ball and climbed the ladder to tip the pass up in the air.
That play—which resulted in a basket pick for safety Tre Boston in the deep half—highlighted the Panthers’ ability to essentially make Cover 2 look like a three-deep shell because of Kuechly’s range and athleticism to match speed up the field.But after watching tape of Kuechly throughout this season, I can’t say I’m really surprised. He can be a dominant player at the middle linebacker position, one that produces on a consistent basis because of his overall skill set and the ability to identify offensive concepts.
Looking ahead to this weekend, I can’t wait for Kuechly to play against the defending champs out in Seattle.
Just think about the linebacker filling the hole versus Marshawn Lynch, matching Russell Wilson in the read-option scheme or closing the middle of the field when Seattle wants to throw the seam route.
That’s good football. And it's also what we should expect in the postseason tournament. Get the best players out on the field and let them compete under the lights.
It would be considered an upset for the Panthers (or any team in the NFC) to win out in Seattle this January. But with Kuechly leading a Carolina defense playing its best football of the season, don’t count the Panthers out just yet.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2319056-dominant-luke-kuechly-keying-panthers-improbable-playoff-run
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