Dolphins vs Panthers: Previewing Carolina's Preseason Week 2 Matchup

On Saturday, the Carolina Panthers continue their preseason slate with a matchup against the Miami Dolphins. After two days of joint practices, the teams will face off in Charlotte for a game that should see the starters get significant playing time.When the joint training camp practices were first mentioned, coach Ron Rivera talked about why it was such an exciting opportunity to get to work with another team, via Max Henson of Panthers.com:It's a unique opportunity for us to have our guys practice for two days at a different tempo, at a different level against a different style. In all three phases it gives us an opportunity to look at different situations. In talking with (Dolphins head coach) Joe Philbin, we plan on doing situational football together. We'll use different ideas and combine the way they do things with the way we do things. It will benefit both teams mutually.The opportunity, however, is not without its dangers. Both the Dolphins and Panthers suffered major injuries in their first joint practice, with Kelvin Benjamin and Louis Delmas going down. Its not a faultof the joint practiceit could easily have happened in normal, team-on-team practicesbut it certainly takes the shine off of the opportunity.In last years second preseason game, the starters stayed in through nearly the entire first half, so well get more of an opportunity to see how the Panthers starting lineup is actually shaping up. In last weeks game, we hardly got to see starters like Luke Kuechly, Mike Tolbert or Thomas Davis, while Jonathan Stewart, Charles Johnson, Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short didnt play at all. In theory, at least, the first half of this weeks game will look more like the Panthers squad well see during the regular season.Will we see the debut of Shaq Thompson' Will the defensive line be more intact' Will Jonathan Stewart provide a spark in the running game' These questions, and more, could be answered in this Saturdays matchup.Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.Time: 7 p.m. ETLocal TV: Varies from city to city, with WCCB Charlotte being the flagship station. For a complete list of stations, including the one in your area, check out the television page here. Mick Mixon and Mike Rucker will have the call.National Rebroadcast: NFL Network will rebroadcast the game at 4 a.m. ET Sunday. As the game is in North Carolina, they should use Carolinas announcing team. Set your DVRs for this one if youre not in the Southeast.Begin Slideshow
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