4 ways the Panthers can win without Christian McCaffrey in Week 4
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers must lean on D’Onta Foreman
When D’Onta Foreman signed for the Carolina Panthers in free agency, it was widely expected he would become Christian McCaffrey’s primary backup. The former Texas star proved his worth filling in for Derrick Henry on the Tennessee Titans in 2021, but he’s been seldom seen so far with just four carries to his name through the opening three games.
Chuba Hubbard, who is still dealing with ball security issues, has the same number of carries and 14 more rushing yards. While Matt Rhule is still a believer in the Oklahoma State product, asking him to take the bulk of the workload comes with obvious concerns based on what we saw last season.
Foreman’s production from a starting spot is more encouraging. The Titans didn’t skip a beat without Henry last year en route to becoming the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed, so the Panthers could benefit from this against an Arizona Cardinals run defense that’s giving up an average of 105.3 yards-per-game on the ground.
There is a violence to Foreman’s running style that’s hard not to love. Considering how well the Carolina Panthers offensive line is performing of late, this could be tailor-made for the player if given the opportunity.
Just why Foreman hasn’t been more involved so far is anyone’s guess. If McCaffrey misses out with yet another injury, then Carolina might use this chance to significantly increase his touches and see how things go.