Their win wasn’t as pretty as their new helmets, but the Carolina Panthers pulled out a much needed victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. So, what did we learn from the third win of the campaign?
Here are the top takeaways from the Week 10 triumph.
The backfield is in good hands (and legs)
Can you be deader than dead? That was the question after the Panthers, who lugged around the league’s most lifeless offense, traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers three weeks ago.
But whatever degree of dead they were, D’Onta Foreman has revived them—as shown on Thursday night.
In his four games following McCaffrey’s departure, the fifth-year veteran has now rushed for 389 yards and four touchdowns. And even with what remains an unstable situation under center for Carolina, Foreman has brought an old-school, smash-mouth style of running that’s given this unit a dimension they can rely on.
. . . and so is the offensive line
Part of Foreman’s breakout can be attributed to the big men in front of him.
Once again, the Panthers’ line blocked and graded the way for another manageable offensive performance. In addition to clearing out for a 232-yard rushing output, the trench allowed just one sack of quarterback PJ Walker.
For the first time in a long time, it seems like this franchise has a set of hog mollies it can be completely proud of.
PJ Walker's watch should be over
It’s tough to poo-poo on such a feel-good win, but this very well could’ve been a really bad loss. And Walker was close to dragging them there.
The third-year passer somehow steered clear of the turnover, as a few of his ill-advised throws put the Panthers in danger. Two attempts that particularly stood out were the miss to tight end Stephen Sullivan in the first quarter, which would’ve resulted in an easy touchdown, and the near fourth-quarter interception by Falcons safety Richie Grant, which could’ve given Atlanta a pick-six to tie the game.
Plus, the offense’s inability to move the ball consistently kept the Falcons around. A largely dominant defensive showing was almost tainted by their counterparts’ failures to tack on points.
In the end, Carolina won with just 101 team passing yards—their fewest in a victory since 2009. But if they’re serious about a playoff push, Walker—who has been handled with kid gloves by offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo—probably won’t get them there.
