hip after a disappointing performance in Atlanta After an encouraging outing against the Cowboys in week 1 Stitched Michael Palardy Jersey , the Panthers defense laid an absolute stinker in Atlanta. The Falcons sliced and diced Eric Washington’s unit to the tune of 7.4 yards per play, the highest offensive output against the Panthers since that time Cam Newton forgot to bring an extra tie on a road trip. That game was late in the 2016 season, a season in which the Panthers defense was a total mess. Still, they responded to that drubbing with a five sack, five turnover, one safety performance against the Chargers. They’ll look for a similar bounce back when the Bengals come to Bank of America Stadium on Sunday.The Bengals enter the week as one of the least talked about 2-0 teams in the NFL. Despite ranking just 19th in total yards per game, the Bengals sit 3rd in the league in scoring Youth Julius Peppers Jersey , averaging 34 points per game. They rank 4th in the league in points per drive and 5th in the league in drive success rate, according to Football Outsiders. All that is to say their offense is good. It’s not all sunshine and roses for the Bengals though. They’ll be without running back Joe Mixon this week as he recovers from an arthroscopic procedure on his knee. The sophomore sensation accounted for 236 yards and a touchdown through the first two weeks. The equally versatile Giovani Bernard will fill the void left by Mixon, so the Panthers aren’t completely out of the woods there. That brings us to our defensive keys:Don’t let another backup running back gash you. Tevin Coleman was the first running back to go over 100 yards rushing against the Panthers since December 4th, 2016. The offender on that date? Thomas Rawls, another backup running back. Giovani Bernard has been a change of pace back his entire career, but he has topped 80 yards in four of the last five games in which he’s received at least 15 carries. Also the Bengals just signed Thomas Rawls on Wednesday, apparently aware of his kryptonite-like effect on the Panthers. Keep James Bradberry on A.J. Green as much as possible. Last week we saw Bradberry hold Julio Jones to a reasonable 64 yards on 9 targets Stitched Julius Peppers Jersey , with 30 of those yards coming on a circus catch in which Bradberry could do little about. The Panthers face a similarly talented wideout in Green, who sits atop the NFL with 4 receiving touchdowns to his name thus far. Green has been spending some time in the slot this season, so some coverage duties will fall to Captain Munnerlyn and the linebackers, but in an ideal world Bradberry will always be on the same side of the field as the Bengals top target. Disrupt the passing game. This is obviously easier said than done, but it’s important to note. Andy Dalton has been sacked on just 2.78% of his drop backs, the sixth lowest mark in the league. The lack of pressure has resulted in fewer mistakes for the eighth year pro, as he’s currently sporting the best interception rate of his career. The Panthers front line struggled to get any sort of pressure on Matt Ryan last week and are in for a similarly tough task. However Youth Da’Norris Searcy Jersey , Dalton is much more susceptible to mistakes under pressure than Ryan is, so the Panthers shouldn’t be afraid to be more aggressive with their blitzing. After one strong performance and one weak one, the Panthers defense currently sits right in the middle of the league in terms of yards and points. This home match-up against a strong Bengals offense will be a great litmus test for the defense heading into the week 4 bye. The Panthers are down to their Plan C at quarterback, and the line they put in front of him won’t be what you’d call star-studded either.The Panthers rule Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner out for the finale against the Saints JVs, along with defensive tackle Kawann Short and oh by the way quarterback Cam Newton.Backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke won’t play this week since he went on IR after his first start, leaving Kyle Allen to start behind a patchwork line.Tyler Larsen will start at right guard, but that won’t be the extent of the changes. Veteran Marshall Newhouse Blue James Bradberry Jersey , who started at left tackle last week, is questionable. It’s hardly the kind of cast center Ryan Kalil should be surrounded with in his final NFL game, since he’s retiring after the season.Running back Kenjon Barner, who got slammed by the Falcons punter last week, is also doubtful.