Thursday open thread: Who is the most dangerous Panthers player vs. Lions?

The Carolina Panthers are a team that can beat you a few ways. Much like the Detroit Lions, they’ve battled through a defensive stalemate against the Buffalo Bills, but they’ve also come out victorious in a shootout with the New England Patriots.

That speaks to the wide variety of talent throughout the Panthers’ roster. They have a former NFL MVP on offense, while they have a few players on defense who have been named All-Pro several times throughout their career.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Panthers player poses the biggest threat to a Detroit Lions victory?

My answer: Linebacker Luke Kuechly. There is little doubt in my mind that Kuechly is the best player on the Panthers’ roster. Part of what makes him so special is his ability to do just about anything. He can tackle extremely well. He can chase down a running back from across the field. His coverage skills are impeccable. And his playmaking abilities are unmatched by any other linebacker in the league.

In this matchup, specifically, Kuechly may hold the key to shutting down Detroit’s offense completely. He makes it very unlikely that Detroit develops a running game on Sunday. Additionally, he won’t make it easy for Matthew Stafford to check down to his tight ends or running backs in the passing game, something Stafford has done extremely well so far this season.

Your best hope against Kuechly is to simply gameplan around him completely. No other player on the Panthers’ roster commands that much respect.

Your turn.