Christian McCaffrey got all the numbers and the glory, but the Carolina Panthers offensive line deserves a ton of credit for their performance today against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thanks to some stellar blocking up front, McCaffrey ran for 176 yards on just 19 carries (9.3 yards per run) and scored twice on the ground.
After the game, head coach Ron Rivera was so happy with their performance, he gave the offensive line unit a triple awesome.
Awesome, indeed. Even when McCaffrey had to leave the game in the fourth quarter due to cramps, the rush attack didn’t drop off. Reggie Bonnafon came in and broke off a couple huge runs of his own. He finished with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown on just five carries.
Rivera liked what he saw so much that he gave offensive line coach John Matsko a game ball.
Impressive stuff.
This was a much-needed breakout performance for a unit that’s fallen short of expectations too often the last few seasons. Run blocking is always what they have done best, so it’s no surprise that’s what they hung their hat on in today’s victory.
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