3 Panthers position groups that must step up vs. the Patriots in Week 9

Carolina Panthers RBs

Remember Christian McCaffrey’s dominate season in 2019? It seems like a distant memory.

With McCaffrey not 100 percent and far from guaranteed to lace up his cleats this week, Chuba Hubbard, Royce Freeman, and the recently signed Ameer Abdullah provided the Carolina Panthers with a solid trio in Week 8 at the Atlanta Falcons. This resulted in 47 rushing plays for an impressive 203 yards on the ground.

No one person can fully replace the utility of McCaffrey, but the Panthers have become a run first team. I for one am fully behind this. Establishing a solid run game opens the passing game and makes things easier for quarterback Sam Darnold or whoever is under center.

Other than winning the line of scrimmage, developing a rushing game keeps the clock moving, keeps drives alive by moving the chains, and eventually wears down the defense.

With the New England Patriots giving up more than 100 yards per game on the ground, the running back trio, with what I expect a few runs by P.J. Walker while scrambling, will be relied upon.

Even if McCaffrey is given the green light to participate, Matt Rhule stated he wouldn’t be getting his usual snap count. A smart move in the circumstances give his recent problems when coming back from injury problems too soon.