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With Devonta Freeman out, Panthers miss golden opportunity

By Danny Jaillet

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Devonta Freeman #24 of the Atlanta Falcons is tackled byThomas Davis #58 of the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Devonta Freeman #24 of the Atlanta Falcons is tackled byThomas Davis #58 of the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 31, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Carolina Panthers defense probably wishes they could have this game back.

A team (or in this case, unit) cannot play perfect every single week. I get it, I understand it. Football is a funny game, and even on the days you think you are most prepared, sometimes you are not. Such was the case for the Carolina Panthers run defense on Sunday. They had a chance to dominate against an injured Falcons team  without Devonta Freeman and they blew it.

For starters, this was a team that ranked No. 3 in rushing defense in 2017. They allowed 88.1 yards per contest last year (with the most given up being Week 13 against New Orleans). Sunday, they gave up that many yards and more as the Falcons rushing attack shredded the Carolina Panthers defensive line.  On top of that, they did it by committee. Although Tevin Coleman led the way in the rushing department, rookie Iko Smith emerged as a weapon as well.

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Coleman rushed the ball 16 times for 107 yards, including a 36-yard scamper that was his longest of the afternoon. Averaging 6.6 yards per carry is not a bad day at the office, especially for a back who generally plays second fiddle like Coleman does. Smith rushed the ball nine times for 46 yards and at the very least, the rookie showed he could play with the big boys. Even Matt Ryan got into the act, scoring two touchdowns. He finished the game with four carries for 18 yards.

Everyone got into the act except for the Falcons top rusher Devonta Freeman. That is of course because he was injured. He suffered the injury in the team’s season-opening win against the Philadelphia Eagles. As a result, he is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. Of course, even the most diehard Carolina Panthers fans do not want to see anyone injured. However, it may complicate life for the Falcons moving forward, and any Falcons suffering is music to the ears of people across the Carolinas.

That is why Sunday’s performance by the run defense was so disappointing. The Falcons were missing their star running back and Carolina could not take advantage of it. It was for that reason I though the Panthers could steal this game. Although the Falcons can beat you in multiple ways, Freeman is a huge part of their offense.

Per snap count data from ProFootballReference.com, Freeman played in 39 snaps against the Eagles. That number accounted for 55.71 % of Atlanta’s total snaps last week. Next in line was Tevin Coleman who admittedly was close with 36 snaps. That accounted for 51.4 % of the Falcons snaps last week.  Freeman’s numbers from last week are in line with total season numbers from 2017. Freeman played in 551 snaps in 2017. That accounted for 53.81 % of the team’s total snaps on the season. Next in line was Tevin Coleman with 424 snaps which accounted for 41. 41 % of the team’s total snaps on the season.

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The bottom line is Devonta Freeman is heavily relied on and was out.  He is the catalyst of their offense in many ways. This was the perfect opportunity for the Carolina Panthers to shut down the rushing attack. Instead, they let the floodgates open. They missed their opportunity, and in turn missed their chance at being at the top of the division.

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