It’s been a putrid start to the season for the Panthers defensive line, which lost a ton of firepower this offseason. Through two games, the team has zero sacks, one quarterback hit and has been unable to defend the run again.
The one exception to the rule has been the play of second-year defensive end Brian Burns. While he doesn’t have any sacks yet he’s come close a couple of times and he ranks No. 7 in the NFL in pass rush win rate among edge defenders.
This is a better indicator of how much pressure a defender is getting than sacks, which can vary widely from week to week and season to season. Burns will get his, eventually.
Watch this spin move that almost landed him a hit on Tom Brady.
Outside spin by Brian Burns (yellow) + screen recognition by Stephen Weatherly (red)
Burns attacks inside, throws the chop with the outside hand & spins outside.
Weatherly comes off his stunt, reads screen & finds the RB. Puts a good hit on him to force the incompletion! pic.twitter.com/PbPvLBYbTc
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) September 21, 2020
He’s also stood out against the run.
You gotta love this stop by Brian Burns. Glad to see him make a play.#CARvsTB #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/LAFZxF1w7y
— Edgar Salmingo, Jr. ✌️ (@PanthersAnalyst) September 20, 2020
Burns has four tackles so far, two for a loss.
