The last time the Panthers played the 49ers was Week 2 of the 2016 season in Charlotte. The Panthers won 46-27 behind a strong offensive showing in which they tallied 529 yards of offense with three players topping 100 yards. Since then the 49ers have changed dramatically. They fired Chip Kelly, hired Kyle Shanahan, and acquired Solomon Thomas, Elvis Dumervil and Rueben Foster in an attempt to shore up the defense while also acquiring Pierre Garcon and Brandon Fusco and moving on from Vance McDonald, Jeremy Kerley, and Torrey Smith on the offensive side of the ball. The defensive acquisitions along with Arik Armstead and Deforest Buckner being healthy make this defensive front scary. On the offensive side of the ball, Brian Hoyer and Kyle Shanahan should provide a stronger opponent than Chip Kelly and Blaine Gabbert did last year.

5 Panthers We’ve Got Questions About:

#13 Kelvin Benjamin, Wide Receiver

In the wake of Benjamin telling the media that football is the only thing he has left after his mother died and he is dedicating every play this season to her, Benjamin becomes a must watch. Not only because he is dedicating this season to his mom but also the fact that the last time he faced the 49ers he racked up 108 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions.

#24 James Bradberry, Cornerback

Bradberry both recorded his first interception and allowed his first touchdown the last time these two teams faced off. After that game, it was clear that Bradberry had the ability to be a starting caliber cornerback in the NFL. How has he improved since then? Will he record another interception or will he give up another touchdown?

#1 Cam Newton, Quarterback

In his first full game back, Newton is a must watch because we haven’t seen him get into a groove with this new offense. His health will be a big thing to watch as well. Will he take big hits? Will we see more scrambling? Will the lion roar? Does he have a full grasp of the offense that was installed while he was injured?

#90 Julius Peppers, Edge Rusher

Where exactly does he fit in the rotation? Are we going to see him play more than Addison or will he be more of a specialist? Who does he play opposite from?

#88 Greg Olsen, Tight End

How often will he need to stay in to block? Will we see him line up as a HB and lead block as we’ve seen Dickson and Manhertz do? How well will he perform against the 49ers secondary? Will he be able to exploit the Cover 3 up the seam?

4 Important Matchups:

Kuechly and Davis vs Carlos Hyde

Hyde is a big, powerful runner, gaining almost two-thirds of his yardage after contact in 2016, and the 49ers slowly solidified their run game last season. Keeping Hyde in check and forcing Brian Hoyer to make plays will be integral.

Matt Kalil vs Solomon Thomas

Kalil’s first test will be against the highly touted rookie from Stanford and how Kalil performs will either greatly help his confidence and future play, or it will give the Panthers’ nightmares of last season with Mike Remmers at left tackle. Look for both Kalil and Williams to get help on the edges in the way of tight end and running back chips.

Christian McCaffrey vs Linebackers

First round pick Reuben Foster has had a great preseason and his fellow linebacker Navorro Bowman has made a name for himself over his career with other teams. How will the rookie stack up against one of the better groups of linebackers in the NFL? Will he be able to add to his “linebacker body count”?

Kawann Short vs Brandon Fusco

The 49ers interior offensive line has been a mess, and with Joshua Garnett out they will be relying on free agent acquisition Fusco to fend off Short. If Short wins that matchup, then the 49ers rushing attack will resemble last year’s 65 yards on 26 rushes against the Panthers. In 2016, Fusco started 14 games at right guard for the Vikings, and ranked among the ten worst guards in PFF’s pass blocking efficiency stat.

3 Things The Panthers Need to do to Win:

Get creative on offense

Finding ways to get the ball out of Newton’s hands and into McCaffrey’s, Benjamin’s, Olsen’s, or one of their other weapons’ hands will be imperative to the overall offensive success this season. In order for the Panthers to win their week one matchup, they will need to create mismatches against a defense that is bigger and slower than most they will face later in the season.

Force the 49ers to Throw

Carlos Hyde was the main driving force for the 49ers last year and will continue to be their main offensive threat in 2017. If the Panthers are going to win in San Francisco they will need to neutralize Hyde and force Brian Hoyer into difficult situations.

Play Disciplined

Kyle Shanahan has always been creative as an offensive coordinator, if the Panthers are going to win they will need to play disciplined and focus on their assignments instead of chasing big hits and glory. Maintaining gap discipline and maintaining their lanes will be of utmost importance on Sunday.

2 Reasons the Panthers Could Lose:

The 49ers Defensive Line

This 49ers defensive line Is healthy and built up. If the Panthers are going to lose, it is going to be because they lost the battle in the trenches. Ryan Kalil will need to keep DeForest Buckner at bay while Williams, Kalil and Moton focus on Dumervil, Armstead and Thomas. Expect the offensive guards and tight ends to help out the offensive tackles more frequently and leave Kalil on an island in the middle of pass protection.

Playing in Levi’s

Is the stadium cursed? The last time the Panthers played there was Super Bowl 50. What did Cam Newton have to say about playing in Levi’s for the first time since the Super Bowl loss last February?

“Who cares? It’s a football game.”

1 Bold Prediction: Devin Funchess tops 150 yards and 2 TDs

With the secondary focused on Benjamin and Olsen and the front 7 focused on Newton, Stewart and McCaffrey; Funchess finds himself in advantageous situations and makes the most of them, tallying 9 catches on 12 targets for 150 yards and 2 TDs, one of which coming on a fade to the corner of the endzone and the other coming across the middle. Now that’s bold.

Check out some additional previews of the game below, including a detailed look at why the Cover 3 defense the 49ers run should be extremely advantageous to the Panthers’ personnel.