Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Panthers Wire

The 49ers’ toughest test of the season may come at home in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina has won four in a row and is coming off a bye week. San Francisco is coming off an ugly, cross-country road win.

We got in touch with our buddy Tim Weaver at Panthers Wire to chat about the showdown between two of the NFL’s hottest teams.

Niners Wire: What has Kyle Allen done well to go undefeated as a starter this season?

(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Tim Weaver: Not a whole lot, to be honest. His numbers are misleading in a lot of ways. The only really great thing he’s done is not throw interceptions, but he’s fumbled six times, so it’s not like he’s avoiding turnovers. Allen has been given the best average starting field position in the league, and the Panthers have scored 54 points off turnovers. He’s also gotten to play two of the worst passing defenses in the NFL in Arizona and Tampa. So, yes he’s undefeated, but his stats are inflated and it’s a case of the team carrying the quarterback, and not the other way around.

NW: What does Allen struggle with?

TW: Ball security is the big thing — he’s lucky to only have lost six (fumbles), to be frank. Both wins over Houston and Jacksonville could have gone the other way thanks to his fumbling problems. From a passing perspective, he’s bailing on the pocket too fast and he’s missing reads and receivers too often. Greg Olsen has been visibly frustrated with him at times, which says a lot. A healthy Cam Newton is still by far their best chance to win games.

NW: We hear and see a lot about Christian McCaffrey, but who’s the star of the Panthers’ defense?

(Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

TW: There are a lot of stars this year. Brian Burns looks like he’s going to be neck-and-neck with Nick Bosa for Defensive Rookie of the Year. James Bradberry is playing like an elite cornerback and will soon get paid like it. If I had to pick one, though, Luke Kuechly is still the centerpiece and the foundation of the defense. I don’t think there’s anyone else who can do what he’s able to do as far as diagnosing plays, anticipating what’s coming and making stops. They can sustain losing a guy like Kawann Short or Donte Jackson, but take Kuechly out of the equation, and it’s a totally different defense.

NW: What does Carolina do offensively if McCaffrey gets shut down?

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

TW: Punt, mostly. McCaffrey has accounted for 43.5% of Carolina’s yards from scrimmage and scored half of their touchdowns. Allen put up some impressive numbers against the Cardinals (in Week 3), but they’re clearly a bad defense and he was riding an emotional high playing in front of a hometown crowd. Since then he really hasn’t done anything special. One thing I’d like to see them try more of is targeting Curtis Samuel deep. That could be a problem if Richard Sherman is covering him, obviously, but it’s worth trying more often than they do. Greg Olsen also has to get more involved. He’s been very quiet the last month or so.

NW: How do you see Sunday’s game going, and give us a final score prediction.

TW: I see a playoff-type atmosphere — low scoring, competitive. Probably a fair amount of sacks and interceptions. If this game were in Charlotte it would be another story, but given the home-field advantage I’m going to say 49ers win. 49ers 12, Panthers 9