Lea: Foreman's 130-yard rushing day could be a sign of things to come for Carolina
Posted November 11, 2022 12:39 a.m. EST
Updated November 11, 2022 8:26 a.m. EST
Charlotte, N.C. — The plan was painfully obvious for the Panthers.
Run the ball early. And often.
With their cool black helmets.
Carolina was only able to scratch 64 yards on the ground in their 42-21 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on November 6th. They more than doubled that total in the first half alone against the Atlanta Falcons just four days later in their 25-15 Thursday Night Football win. A steady diet of D'Onta Foreman, Raheem Blackshear, Chuba Hubbard and others totaled 128 yards altogether for Carolina in the first 30 minutes.
The Falcons defense ranks 8th in the NFL only allowing 106.9 rushing yards per game and the Panthers more than doubled that with 232 yards on the ground.
That was balance that was rarely seen under Matt Rhule when Christian McCaffrey was still in Charlotte. The change of pace between the three backs kept the Falcons on their heels, not only in the first half, but during the entire game.
In the meantime, Foreman became the first Panthers running back to have two 100 yard rushing games against the same team, in the same season since Jonathan Stewart did it in 2009 against Tampa Bay. Foreman notched 118 and 130 yard games respectively against the Falcons.
Production like that makes one wonder, 'what if'. Foreman's bruising running style could've paired beautifully with the most dynamic running back in the league Christian McCaffrey. But Matt Rhule either didn't have that vision, or strayed away from it.
But we can't live in the past. McCaffrey nor Rhule are with this team anymore. But now, the Panthers could possibly have their back of the future in Foreman if they can re-sign in the offseason. Plus with Hubbard and Blackshear offering a change of pace to give him a spell, the Panthers could begin to look better than the 22nd ranked rushing team in the league.
Now the Panthers march with their 3-7 record and only one game behind the Falcons in the NFC South.
