The Carolina Panthers are celebrating again after a 30-27 win over Dallas.
Over the last few weeks, the Panthers have been buying into Dave Canales’ philosophy.
Since he became head coach in early 2024, he has been determined to play the kind of football that had been successful in Carolina before. “Run the ball and stop the run.”
Head coach John Fox had the same philosophy from 2001 to 2010.
Run the ball: A doddle for Dowdle
Former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle ran riot… again!
Dowdle posted 183 rushing yards along with 56 receiving yards and a touchdown. Those 239 total yards make him the franchise all-time leader for most single-game yards.
Last week, he became tied-second for most rushing yards in team history with 206. He had 234 in total on that day.
These back-to-back games of 200+ yards make him the first undrafted player since 1970 to do so.
Stop the run: Bringing the numbers down
Heading into this game, Cowboys running back Javonte Williams ranked third in the league in rushing yards. And yet he could only manage 29 against Carolina and his team had 31 in total.
In a seven-game stretch from Week 13 last year to Week 1 this year, the Panthers defense had allowed 200+ rushing yards in every game. That unwanted streak was broken emphatically in Week 2 when they allowed just 82 yards against an Arizona team with James Conner and Kyler Murray.
Atlanta rushed for 131 yards in Week 3 and New England for 104 a week later. Miami in Week 5 had a mere 19 rushing yards, followed by the 31 allowed to Dallas. A drastic improvement.
Williams’ numbers prove that this streak is no fluke. A once-leaky defense, which was letting teams walks straight through them, is now proving to be one of the tightest in the league.
Who takes the credit on defense?
It is no coincidence that Derrick Brown returning to the defensive line is impacting these results. Brown signed a big contract after a monster year in 2023. Unfortunately, a torn meniscus in Week 1 last year ruled him out of the entire 2024 season.
His absence was a major cause of that leaky defense allowing 200+ yards per game. A’Shawn Robinson stepped up as the stand-alone contributor on the defensive line last year. Now paired with Brown, the two are causing mayhem.
Much-needed help was brought in during the offseason, although two-time Super Bowl winner Tershawn Wharton has been held back by injuries. He has only featured in Weeks 1 and 4 this season, but his impact was felt during that small sample size.
Bobby Brown III, a Super Bowl winner in his rookie year in 2021, was also brought in this offseason as further depth and quality. In Wharton’s absence, Brown has filled in adequately. His performance against Dallas, with a couple of big stops and a tackle for loss, was his best performance yet.
LaBryan Ray began the season on Injured Reserve (IR), making his season debut against Miami last week. He has also shown he is a big part of the rotation with a pair of impressive performances.
While the pass rush has struggled as one of the worst in the league, Carolina has two veterans in Patrick Jones II and DJ Wonnum, as well as a pair of day two rookies in Nic Scourton and Pricely Umanmielen.
They have not set the world alight in getting to the quarterback – that certainly needs to improve – but they have all contributed to stopping the run and applying pressure.
Is an overdue road win on the cards?
The Panthers have now won all three games at home this season, but they have also lost all three games on the road. A 3-3 record for Carolina is certainly satisfactory so far, but some major inconsistencies need to be addressed.
The team have not won three games in a row since the beginning of the 2021 season, when they started off 3-0. That season opener was at home to the New York Jets in the Sam Darnold revenge game.
The Jets are currently the only team in the league without a win. So this week’s game against Gang Green is a fantastic opportunity for Carolina. They can not only claim their first road win of the season but also get above .500 for the first time since that hot start in 2021.
This past week in London, the Jets fell to 0-6 at the hands of the Denver Broncos. The score seemed close on paper at 13-11. However, the Jets had -10 net passing yards, Justin Fields was sacked nine times and the team had 92 total rushing yards.
Here comes the cavalry
While the Panthers have put 27+ points on the board to win for the past two weeks, further reinforcements are on the horizon. Four starters should be ready to return to the lineup to face New York.
Starting right guard Taylor Moton was out against Dallas with an elbow injury. The ironman has only missed five games since being drafted in 2017: three last season and Weeks 1 and 6 this year. Dave Canales expects Dallas to be the only game he misses before returning to the starting lineup.
The Panthers have run the ball well over the past two weeks, thanks to Rico Dowdle, but starter Chuba Hubbard should return after two weeks out.
Starting tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders should also return after missing the last three games with an ankle injury picked up late in the win over Atlanta. That said, Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans have filled in well.
Second-year receiver Jalen Coker returned to practice on Wednesday. The heir apparent to Adam Thielen was placed on IR two days after Theilen’s trade to Minnesota. Coker’s 21-day window to return was opened last week but he was not added back to the active roster for the Dallas game.
With these four players potentially back on offense – and the defense continuing to impress and improve – a win against the New York Jets could be on the horizon.
