3 winners and 3 losers from Panthers win at the Falcons in Week 8
By Jason Huber
The Carolina Panthers run game
It took an extra week but head coach Matt Rhule’s declaration that the Carolina Panthers would commit more to run the ball at the New York Giants ago finally came true on Sunday.
Joe Brady’s offense rushed the ball 47 times and only attempted 25 passes.
The reward? 203 total rushing yards with a touchdown.
It was the most rushing yards by a Panthers team since Week 5 of the 2019 season.
Chuba Hubbard, who started in the place of the injured Christian McCaffrey once again, fumbled on the first drive of the game but bounced back in strong fashion. He finished the day with 24 carries for 82 yards and went in for a six-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that ultimately gave Carolina the win.
Ameer Abdullah, a waiver-wire pickup just two weeks ago after his release by the Minnesota Vikings, also had a solid game, running the ball eight times for 31 yards. Royce Freeman carried the ball six times for 25 yards and quarterback Sam Darnold had 66 of his own on the ground.
The offensive line also deserves a lot of credit for helping the game have such a great game.
Considering how inept things have looked without McCaffrey the past month, it was pivotal that the Panthers rushing offense had a game like this. Something they can hopefully build on moving forward.