An offense that’s been abysmal for the New Orleans Saints sputters into Week 10 for a matchup at the Carolina Panthers. The Saints are 1-8 coming into this game, tied for the NFL’s worst record. They’ll face a Carolina squad that is a surprising 5-4 and have won four of their last five.

New Orleans averages a pathetic 15.3 points per game, ranking 31st in the league. They’ve scored more than 20 points offensively just once this season. A unit that ranks a meager 29th in total yardage made the switch to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough last week, but the problems go far deeper than the quarterback position. Carolina counters with a defense that ranks 13th overall and has been the primary reason for their turnaround. Shough and Spencer Rattler need a running game for balance, an area where the team has been abysmal. It’s the running game where we focus today’s analysis of this Week 10 matchup against Carolina.

Panthers Run Defense110.7 yards per game (18th)4.6 per carry (24th)10 touchdowns (22nd)

Carolina has held four opponents under 100 yards rushing. They’ve allowed an average of just 73.2 on the ground in their five wins, but a drastic difference of 157.8 rushing yards in their four losses. Just two weeks ago, Buffalo annihilated the Panthers with 245 yards on the ground.

Carolina has a physically imposing line on their 3-4 defense. Nose tackle A’Shawn Robinson is a specimen, but end Derrick Brown has been the unit’s top performer and looks on his way to a Pro Bowl season. Edge rushers D.J. Wonnum and rookies Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen have been physical run defenders, while Tershawn Wharton has made underrated but crucial contributions up front.

Linebackers Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace have benefited from the size and physicality in front of them. Rozeboom leads the Panthers with 77 tackles while the athletic Wallace is third in stops. Physical safety Tre’von Moehrig leads Carolina with 8 tackles for loss, often roaming at the line of scrimmage to snuff out running plays. He’s complemented well by rookie safety Lathan Ransom, another physical defensive back that moves into the tackle box effectively against the run. Carolina ranks 6th in red zone percentage, showing that they are a physical team in short yardage situations.

Saints Running Game89.6 yards per game (27th)3.8 per carry (27th)3 touchdowns (31st)

New Orleans has failed to gain 100 yards rushing as a team in five straight contests. Over that span, they’ve averaged an abysmal 62 yards per game on the ground and 3.1 per carry. It’s also worth noting that the team’s rushing attempts have decreased in each of those five games and they’ve had less than 20 rushing attempts in three consecutive outings.

Alvin Kamara is the Saints leading rusher. That’s no surprise, but the fact that Kamara has only 377 yards, 1 score, and an average of 3.6 per carry is. Coach Kellen Moore and his insistence to run Kamara up the middle and rarely attempt to get him off tackle is one of the offense’s biggest problems. With Kendre Miller (knee) out for the year, rookie Devin Neal is now the primary backup. Taysom Hill is the team’s best runner between the tackles. However, Hill has just 15 rushes for 32 yards and has been unable to get on track with unimaginative usage.

Right tackle Taliese Fuaga (ankle) is out for this game, likely to be replaced by Asim Richards. Luke Fortner continues to be at center for the injured Erik McCoy, while either Torricelli Simpkins or more likely Dillon Radunz takes over at left guard for the traded Trevor Penning. Rookie left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. is the team’s best healthy lineman, by a wide margin. If Moore actually decides to use Kamara on outside zone plays, it’ll more often be behind Banks. The fact that a New Orleans team with Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill has only three rushing scores is a microcosm of how bad this offense has been.