Carolina offense vs. St. Louis defense

	PANTHERS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	16
	Pass	6
	Tot. Yds.	7
	Scoring	10
	Int's allowed	10
	Sacks allowed	28
	RAMS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	1
	vs. Pass	18
	Total yds. allowed	9
	# of Ints.	11
	# of Sacks	22
	Turnover differential	-10

Carolina's offense, much maligned over the last three weeks, came to life in a big way last weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles. QB Steve Beuerlein looked more sure of himself, finishing the game 21-34 for 281 yards and three touchdowns. The Carolina running game also got untracked -- the Panthers ran for 111 yards as a team and RB Fred Lane finished the game with 20 carries for 74 yards.

Buerlein had a particularly good day finding WR Muhsin Muhammad, who finished with eight catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Muhammad had been slowed by a sore hamstring, but came back strong against Philadelphia and was effective gaining yards after the catch.

This weekend, the Panthers face a Rams defense that has been solid defending the pass and run this season. Carolina will need to establish a medium range passing game early to loosen up the Rams front seven. If Beuerlein can find Muhammad, WR Patrick Jeffers and TE Wesley Walls with some success early, it should open up the running game for Lane and RB Tim Biakabutuka. Biakabutuka has been hobbled by a bad ankle over the last few weeks, and his healthy return would add a much needed big-play threat out of the backfield.

The Rams get LOLB Leonard Little back from an eight game suspension this week, but it is questionable whether Little will play against Carolina this weekend. If he does, Little will bring an outside speed rushing presence that should allow what is already a talented front seven to put even more pressure on opposing QBs. If Little doesn't play, the Carolina front four is perfectly capable of pressuring the passer without him. RDT Kevin Carter is Pro-Bowl bound, and had three sacks last week against the Lions, and RDE Grant Wistrom has also done his part pressuring the passer.

Getting to Buerlein will be key this week, as the Rams secondary has proven vulnerable in St. Louis' last two games. Carolina will look to pick-on undersized RDC Dexter McCleon by lining WR Muhammad opposite him as often as possible. Muhammad is a physical receiver who is good in traffic and has the size to go up and get the football, which could pose a problem against McCleon, whose confidence is shaken after his miserable performance against the Lions.

Last week, Carolina opened up its offense to give Beuerlein more options and he responded with his best game of the year. When Carolina comes out with four- and five-wide receiver sets, it will be up to the St. Louis front four to generate pressure. If the Rams have to resort to the blitz to put pressure on Beuerlein, it will expose their vulnerable secondary.

Part of the problem for the Rams has been the team's inability to run the football. Last week against the Lions, RB Marshall Faulk carried the ball 11 times for 15 yards. This week, St. Louis needs to establish the run early to prevent the Panthers from showing constant nickel and dime packages, and therefore the Ram offensive line needs to raise its level of play. Carolina showed that it was susceptible to the ground attack, surrendering 7.3 yards per carry last Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Look for the Rams to disguise the run, as Carolina will undoubtedly be looking pass, so Faulk should get a healthy dose of draw plays and counters. Faulk will also be a force coming out of the backfield, as both of Carolina's OLB's have quick upfield moves, but struggle sideline to sideline and could be susceptible if forced to cover a guy with Faulk's athletic ability coming out of the backfield.

After a solid performance last Sunday against the offensively inept Eagles, Carolina's defense encounters the other end of the offensive spectrum this weekend against the Rams. Against Philly last weekend, the Panthers defense played a sound, but not entirely flawless game. Last week, LDC Doug Evans had an interception but was whistled for two pass interference calls. Evans will have his hands full this week regardless of whichever St. Louis WR (Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt or Az-zahir Hakim) he is on during the game. All have vertical speed as well as the ability to turn one broken tackle into a big play. Carolina will have to make a decision which receiver to roll coverage toward, and will probably play a lot of zone coverage in this game.

Another problem for the Panthers will be creating pressure on St. Louis QB Warner. If given ample time, Warner is capable of picking apart opposing offenses, so Carolina needs a big game from 37 year-old LOLB Kevin Greene. Greene had a fumble recovery and two sacks against the Eagles last week and will need to get to Warner if Carolina is to be competitive in this game. Greene can be a liability in coverage situations, so look for George Seifert to use Greene on a situational basis.