31-28 upset win over the Rams<\/a> on Nov. 30, the run game has been on a steady decline. That correlates with three losses in their last four games.<\/p>\nDowdle hasn\u2019t eclipsed 60 yards rushing in the last eight games, and backup Chuba Hubbard has struggled to find his mojo as well after running for nearly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago.<\/p>\n
Since his arrival in 2024, Panthers coach Dave Canales has stressed the importance of being able to run the ball late in the season.<\/p>\n
Yet when the Panthers needed to do it the most against Tampa Bay in Week 18 \u2014 a game which would\u2019ve allowed them to clinch the outright division title with a win \u2014 they managed a season-low 19 yards on 10 carries on a soggy track at Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n
Canales said it will take a \u201cfull group effort\u201d to turn things around this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cStarts with me and the coaching staff, making sure that we have the right plan together for our guys,\u201d Canales said. \u201cAnd then it starts up front with the O-line, the blocking, the combos, making sure we\u2019re moving guys off the spot to get the play started.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then once the backs have the ball, just looking for that violent style of play that we saw that we know they can, and return to that and make sure we\u2019re getting efficient runs on a consistent basis,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, opposing defenses have been able to blow up some plays with run blitzes, getting hands on Dowdle and Hubbard before they\u2019ve had a chance to pick up a head of steam.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot let people run through the line of scrimmage. Safeties, linebackers cannot run through the line of scrimmage,\u201d Canales said. \u201cOur combintation blocks have to be excellent. We\u2019ve got to make sure it\u2019s covered up so that the backs can press the line of scrimmage and make decisions from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Panthers guard Austin Corbett hinted that teams have been playing the Panthers differently since that Rams win, but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefenses do a great job of looking at film and changing what they do,\u201d Corbett said. \u201cAt the same time (during the last half of the season), Bryce has been able to sling it and is throwing touchdowns. So it\u2019s just a matter of taking what is given to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the run game flowing, Young had his most productive game of the year against the Rams.<\/p>\n
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft completed 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a 147.1 QB rating, the second highest in the franchise\u2019s 31-year history. So the Panthers were able to strike a solid balance of run and pass in what amounted to their best offensive game.<\/p>\n
Carolina may get some help on the O-line this week against the league\u2019s 12th-ranked run defense.<\/p>\n
Robert Hunt, who inked a five-year, $100 million contract last season, could return to action this week if he\u2019s cleared by the medical staff. Hunt hasn\u2019t played since tearing his triceps in Week 2, but when healthy is considered the team\u2019s best run blocker.<\/p>\n
Backup Chandler Zavala, a key reserve, could also return from injured reserve.<\/p>\n
First down will be huge for the Panthers.<\/p>\n
Over the last four games, Carolina has averaged 3.72 yards per play on first down, well off the mark from earlier this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t have zeros and 1-yard gains,\u201d Canales said. \u201cIf there\u2019s any daylight at all, let\u2019s get behind our pads, let\u2019s get 2, 3, or 4. We do that twice in a row and we\u2019re in a manageable third down. We get into these known pass situations, second and 10s, second and 9s, then we get a little bit more predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NFL<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) \u2014 Rico Dowdle and the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers are aiming to revive a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[22657,1443,260,22658,1751,3838,7,82906,58,22221,6,498,84,941,7152,3454,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-660394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-playoffs","8":"tag-austin-corbett","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-carolina-panthers","11":"tag-chandler-zavala","12":"tag-chuba-hubbard","13":"tag-dave-canales","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-local-news-for-apple","16":"tag-los-angeles-rams","17":"tag-nc-state-wire","18":"tag-nfl","19":"tag-nfl-football","20":"tag-nfl-playoffs","21":"tag-north-carolina","22":"tag-rico-dowdle","23":"tag-robert-hunt","24":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115852361555268204","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}