Putting how bad the Carolina Panthers’ run defense was vs. Washington into context
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Expanded coverage of Carolina’s Week 13 loss
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The Panthers’ greatest defensive weakness isn’t a secret. It’s not something that needs to be uncovered by looking at different numbers or dissecting statistics.
Instead, the group’s fatal flaw was on full display for the fans that showed up to Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. There was no hiding.
Carolina’s run defense hit a season-low in its 29-21 loss to Washington. Against a group that came into the game averaging just 85.9 yards per game on the ground (28th), the Panthers gave up 248 yards, a season-high that tops the seemingly untoppable total of 232 rushing yards that this same defense gave up to the 49ers in a blowout game on the road.
Washington came into Week 13 averaging 253.4 total yards this year.
“We didn’t have Dontari (Poe) on the football field, we brought in (Stacy) McGee and played a new guy, Gerald (McCoy) wasn’t 100 percent, but still I think we have guys that are capable of doing some good things,” coach Ron Rivera said. “If not, we as coaches have to make sure we’re giving them every opportunity with the calls we make.”
Yes, the Panthers were without nose tackle Dontari Poe, and Gerald McCoy was in-and-out of the game with a right ankle injury, but that doesn’t explain away the Panthers gave up their most rushing yards in a game since 2014 (264 to the Steelers). Or allowing Washington to run for its most yards in one outing since 2012.
One of the major problems for Carolina in stopping the run has been giving up big plays. Against Washington, the Panthers allowed three running plays of 20-plus yards after entering the game allowing the second-most such plays in the NFL (only behind the Bengals, who won their first game Sunday).
Washington found consistent success running the ball as it gained 8.27 yards per carry, the third-highest average allowed in a game in Panthers history, and was able to put together a strong attack behind Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson, who finished with 129 and 99 rushing yards, respectively. It was Guice’s first career 100-yard rushing game.
The Panthers don’t have a lot of answers for what went wrong.
“We just got to do our job, and I think that’s what it comes down to,” linebacker Luke Kuechly said when asked what the problem is. “We were in a good position to make plays. We just got to make them.”
On top of pure yardage, the Panthers added to their league-leading rushing touchdowns allowed, giving up three Sunday to bring their season total to 22. They are on pace to allow 29 rushing touchdowns this year. Only eight teams in NFL history have given up more.
The inability to stop the run showed itself in the fourth quarter when the Panthers needed to put some positive plays together. Instead, Washington was able to run the ball with ease, including a 37-yard run by Guice that was first called a touchdown and then ruled just short of the goal line. Guice got the score easily on the next play.
There was a lot of talk by Rivera and the Panthers after the game about “trying hard” and “having chances.” But when a team comes into the game having almost no success running the ball all season and then puts up historic numbers on a defense, there are bigger issues. It’s one thing to give up this much on the ground in a ugly loss on the road. It’s another to surrender this way at home to a two-win team that features one of the league’s worst offenses.
The numbers and history being made can go on for days. But the answers to key questions for the Panthers seem to be nowhere to be found.
This story was originally published December 1, 2019 at 8:12 PM.
