- by Dennis Cox
The Panthers are finally living up to their identity: We’ve heard Dave Canales preach how they want to be a run-first team, win at the line of scrimmage with physicality, and stop the run on defense. Over the last two games, the Panthers have rushed for 455 yards on 70 carries (6.5 yards per attempt), while the Miami Dolphins & Dallas Cowboys have combined for 50 yards on 33 carries (1.52 yards per attempt.) Yes, you read that correct – 50 yards. The Panthers defensively allowed just shy of 180 yards per game last season.
The additions of Bobby Brown III and Patrick Jones II (and Turk Wharton when healthy) in free agency this year, the return of Derrick Brown, DJ Wonnum (mostly) healthy), the draft picks of Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen as edge rushers with Cam Jackson as an interior defensive lineman, and the return of A’Shawn Robinson are now paying dividends in stopping the run. Now, there’s still much left to be desired in pass defense, including the pass rush, but stopping the run has been crucial for a defense that was a sieve last season.
And on the offensive side of the ball, that leads on to the second big takeaway…
Rico Dowdle has given the offense life: The run game through the first four games of the season for the Carolina Panthers was mostly pedestrian, which was surprising for an offense that returned its top nine offensive lineman from last year, it’s top two tight ends, a running back in Chuba Hubbard that finished 8th in the NFL in rushing last season with 1,195 yards, and added Rico Dowdle, who finished 12th in the NFL in 2024 with 1,079 yards. So to see Hubbard & Dowdle combine for only 300 yards rushing through the first four games of the season was puzzling. While we must acknowledge that the Panthers were trailing in most of those game and head coach Dave Canales switching to a pass-heavy attack as a result impacts rushing stats, the explosive plays weren’t there.
But with Hubbard missing the last two games with a calf injury – that first popped up on the injury report going into the week 4 matchup against the New England Patriots – Dowdle has taken over the reigns as the bell cow running back to the tune of 389 yards rushing and a touchdown on 53 carries, plus an additional 84 yards and a score on 12 receptions in the pass game. His 206 yards rushing against the Miami Dolphins were tied for the second most rush yards in a single game in franchise history, while his 239 total yards against the Cowboys were the most total yards from scrimmage in a game in franchise history.
Dowdle accounted for 58.3% of the total yards against the Cowboys, and 56% of the total yards against the Dolphins. This level of output has fully opened up the playbook for the Carolina Panthers, including the play-action passing game for Bryce Young.
What if? The Carolina Panthers are dealing with injuries to some key players, which isn’t unique to them, but they’ve won two straight without the help of RG Robert Hunt (who is likely out for the season) and RT Taylor Moton missed the game against Dallas; WR Jalen Coker is poised to make his season debut soon, TE J’Tavion Sanders appears to be looking to return any week, RB Chuba Hubbard as missed a pair of games, and DT Tershawn Wharton has missed several games. All of these players are main contributors, which begs the question: how much better can it be when these players are back?! Sure, the challenge of the coaching staff is finding ways to incorporate players. And others are already finding a rhythm in their current roles that coaches may not want to disrupt depending on their current performance. But it’s a good problem to have if you’re the Carolina Panthers. Their depth at running back offensive line, and defensive line have been tested this season, and overall it’s paying off for a team that’s invested a lot of resources into those areas.