ATLANTA — In the their previous three games against the Eagles, Vikings and Giants, the Carolina Panthers relied too heavily on Sam Darnold to win with Christian McCaffrey out.
Despite Matt Rhule’s declaration in Week 6, that they’d run the ball more, they didn’t. They’d run the ball in the first half and then forget about it.
Sunday against the Falcons, they stuck to the running game, even when it wasn’t working well. And it worked out in their favor.
The Panthers finally snapped their four-game losing streak with a 19-13 win over the Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium, and may have finally found the blueprint to winning again.
Just run the football.
Before Sunday’s win, Darnold struggled considerably in his previous four games. He turned the ball over eight times (seven interceptions and one fumble). He looked uncertain of himself. He made bad decisions. And his teammates didn’t provide much help, either, entering Sunday with a league-leading 20 dropped passes. He was benched late in the Panthers’ 25-3 loss to the Giants a week ago.
After the New York loss, the Panthers’ coaching staff had Darnold go back and watch film of his previous games when he was successful.
They watched Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, when Darnold played his best and looked comfortable in the pocket. And then they watched how he looked in recent games when he rushed his throws.
It worked. Sunday, Darnold played like an improved quarterback. He was calm in the pocket. His drop-backs were more natural. His feet were finally set. And when he made his throws, they were mostly on target.
He finished 13 of 24 for only 129 yards, but the most important stat was that he didn’t turn the ball over.
This version of Darnold can win games for the Panthers.
Unfortunately for Carolina, there’s a chance he could miss next week’s game against the New England Patriots in Charlotte. Darnold was knocked out late in the fourth quarter after taking a big hit from Falcons linebacker Royesade Oluokun. Darnold was evaluated for a concussion and never returned.
But whether he does play, and whether McCaffrey returns (he is eligible to come off injured reserve next week), Sunday showed us that the Panthers must rely on their running game.
It was vital in their win. Even when the Falcons were expecting the run, they couldn’t stop it.
And again, this was without the All-Pro McCaffrey.
The Panthers finished with 203 yards on 47 rushing attempts (one was a kneel-down). It was the first time the Panthers have rushed for 200 yards or more since Matt Rhule became head coach ahead of the 2020 season.
Chuba Hubbard, who the Panthers drafted in the fourth round out of Oklahoma State in April, had 82 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown.
His 6-yard rushing touchdown with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter sealed the win for the Panthers. Before that touchdown, the Panthers had gone 19 consecutive drives without reaching the end zone.
New running back Ameer Abdullah added 31 yards on eight carries. And Darnold had 66 yards on eight carries before his exit, including the play he was injured and had his helmet dislodged — an 8-yard scramble to the Atlanta 3.
Running the ball often meant the Falcons’ defense spent too much time on the field. The Panthers won the time-of-possession battle with 35 minutes to Atlanta’s 25.
Sunday could have been a more dominant victory had the Panthers’ receivers not dropped balls and had they not committed eight penalties; they still have much to work on. More often than not, relying on your kicker to make five field goals like Zane Gonzalez won’t be enough.
Darnold’s injury is also a concern.
But they found the blueprint: Run, run, run.
Now stick to it.
