X vs. O Week 3 Review: Panthers maul Dalton, Schwartz tops Reich

Heading into Week 3 of the NFL, we questioned whether a surprising offense could pick apart a vulnerable secondary, if a dominant defensive front could stymie a strong rushing attack, and who would come out on top in a battle of ex-colleagues. So, with another weekend behind us, let's review the tape and pick our winners:

Bengals' pass attack vs. Panthers' secondary

Winner: Panthers

Andy Dalton started Sunday afternoon's tilt against the Carolina Panthers red-hot, and put up solid numbers on the afternoon - but it was the Panthers who came out on top. Dalton finished the day 29 of 46 for 352 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he also threw four interceptions - including two in the fourth quarter that helped Carolina solidify the victory.

In the Week 3 preview, we highlighted a vertical-route/out-route combination concept that teams had been using against the Panthers this season with some success. It's also a design that the Bengals had already been running this year, and they hit on the play early against the Panthers:

But on Dalton’s third interception of the game, he went to the well again, running a post-route/out-route combination against Carolina's Cover 4 coverage. The throw was off-target and intercepted:

Cover 4 is a four-deep coverage with each defender responsible for a quarter of the field. Against a route concept like this one, the safety is responsible for the route breaking to the outside, meaning the cornerback has to cover the post route on the outside working toward the middle without safety help. The wide receiver should therefore have the advantage with inside leverage on the defender. But on this play, rookie cornerback Donte Jackson (No. 26) was able to intercept the pass when Dalton’s throw was to the inside.

It was the second interception of the day for Jackson, who also stepped in front of this throw from Dalton, also in Cover 4 coverage:

Dalton put up some good numbers, but it was the Panthers' secondary - led by Jackson - that won the battle.

Indy coach Frank Reich vs. Philly DC Jim Schwartz

Winner: Schwartz

Familiar faces squared off at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday when Frank Reich, the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, returned to Philadelphia to face his old team. The Eagles spoiled the party, forcing a pivotal fourth-down stop with under two minutes left to secure a 20-16 victory in sloppy conditions.

Many wondered how the Eagles would look to contain the Colts' new-look passing game under Reich, which looks eerily similar to Philadelphia's offense, using lots of West Coast and Air Raid concepts, including the "mesh" concept, which we highlighted in our preview. To combat Indy's offense, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz looked to get pressure with just four pass-rushers, dropping seven defenders into zone coverage to take away throwing lanes.

Here is one example of how that combination worked. On Indianapolis' first drive of the game, the offense faces a third-and-7 on its own 33-yard line. The Eagles show pressure, sugaring the A-Gaps with two defenders - one on each side of the center. Those defenders do not blitz, and the team instead drops seven players into coverage. But despite using just four pass-rushers, the Eagles get to Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (No. 13) anyway and force a desperation toss that ends up in the hands of a lineman for a loss:

The Eagles returned to this look late in the first half, showing a blitz on a second-and-11 play but dropping seven into coverage once again:

Again, the four pass-rushers are able to get to Luck, this time forcing a sack.

Finally, with under two minutes to go, the Colts faced a fourth-and-3 on the Eagles' 4-yard line, with a chance to take the lead. The offense aligns Luck under center and tries a play-action pass, but once again the defense gets home with just four pass-rushers. Defensive end Derek Barnett (No. 96) beats left tackle Le’Raven Clark (No. 62), and subsequently prevents Luck from even making a throw:

By generating pressure with just four pass-rushers, the Eagles were able to take away throwing lanes and slow down those quick passing plays that the Colts had used with great success so far this season.

Chargers' run game vs. Rams' defensive front

Winner: Draw

In the matchup between the Rams' run defense and the Chargers' rushing attack, the Chargers actually got the better of their opponent for much of the game. Melvin Gordon carried the 15 times for 80 yards and a touchdown, and he had a long run of 23 yards. Teammate Austin Ekeler had 47 yards on just four carries, buoyed by a 32-yard run of his own.

However, on successive plays in the second quarter, the Rams’ run defense stood tall, setting the stage for a pivotal special teams play that extended their lead.

In this sequence, the Chargers were backed up on their own 1-yard line and simply tried to get some yardage. But they could not gain a single yard on two rushing attempts.

On first down, the Chargers try to run Gordon (No. 28) on the inside, but due to penetration up front, the running back has to fight just to reach the line of scrimmage:

Then, on second down, we see more great penetration up front, led by Ndamukong Suh (No. 93):

Suh is able to stand up the center at the point of attack, and Aaron Donald (No. 99) fights off his blocker before stopping Gordon for another no gain.

On third down, Philip Rivers threw a short pass to Gordon in the flat for a 3-yard gain, before Drew Kaser’s punt attempt was blocked and recovered in the end zone for a Rams touchdown.

So, while the Chargers did gain 141 yards on the ground against the Rams, these two plays set the stage for a big special teams play for the eventual winner.

Mark Schofield writes NFL feature content for theScore. After nearly a decade of practicing law in the Washington, D.C., area Mark changed careers and started writing about football. Drawing upon more than a decade of playing quarterback, including at the collegiate level, Mark focuses his work on quarterback evaluation and offensive scheme analysis. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two children. Find him on Twitter @MarkSchofield.