On the Panthers' defense: "It's a very good defense. Up front, they're big, physical, powerful guys. I think Peppers is playing extremely well right now. I know his situation and keeping him fresh, but he's playing with a lot of explosiveness and power. I think the linebackers are going to be the best we face all season. Good defense and playing well right now."

On preparing for Julius Peppers when he was with Green Bay: "I remember we had to account for him wherever he lined up. He's a guy that can lineup inside and outside and all over the place. We made a conscious effort to have a tight end on him or a running back in that direction or slide the protection in that direction. He's always been a dominating player wherever he's been and he's kind of back to that form now."

On Carson Wentz on third down:"I think he understands the situation on third down, meaning the down and distance. I think he understands what teams are trying to do in those areas. It's an area we executed and focused on throughout the spring and summer in training camp. Just overall execution. It's an area we focused on and emphasized with him and wanted to get incrementally better this season. We weren't a very good third down team last year and the guys are making plays. We've had some success running the football which helps in some of those areas. Protection has been fairly good. It's just understanding the situation and overall execution."

On preparation in the short week: "Normally you get a chance to buzz through some tape late in the week, last week. But for me it's hard when you're a play caller because I get focused – last week I was focused on Arizona and it's hard to focus on Carolina. But some of the staff members were able to jump ahead just a little bit. We had some meetings and things like that in preparation, yesterday. The toughest thing is and both teams are going through it right now, is normally the last 48 hours. They're usually off days and rest days for our team, for our players. The guys are a little bit sore and banged up, but it's the nature of the business. We need to get through it today and then we'll travel tomorrow."