Through four games, the Carolina Panthers have allowed 626 rushing yards on 116 carries, an ugly 5.4 yards per carry.
But there is another side to the story.
After the Panthers opened the season by giving up 291 rushing yards to the Chicago Bears, they have faced two of the NFL's most dangerous running backs in Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Carolina Panthers' run defense has been much better than the stats suggest
Combined, those two players managed just 118 rushing yards on 31 carries against Carolina. That's 59 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry.
And that is cause for celebration if you're defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
Robinson has been one of the NFL's most productive backs this season. The Atlanta Falcons' superstar entered Week 5 with 494 rushing yards at 5.8 yards per carry, so Carolina clearly didn't shut down an ordinary running game.
Then came Gibbs.
The Detroit Lions running back entered Sunday Night Football with 307 rushing yards through three games and was coming off a 156-yard performance against the New Orleans Saints. The former Alabama star had every reason to believe he could attack a Panthers defense that had been getting hammered in the run game.
Instead, Gibbs finished with 46 rushing yards on 15 carries. That's just 3.1 yards per carry.
Carolina Panthers are making strides in stopping the run at an important time
Gibbs still scored a touchdown and added 31 receiving yards, so Carolina didn't completely shut him down. But limiting one of the league's most explosive backs to 46 rushing yards was a good showing for a defense that had been getting dragged online all week.
The Panthers have been criticized for a reason. But the last few weeks show that the tide is starting to turn.
Oh, and they also held Quinshon Judkins to 70 rushing yards on 18 carries (3.9 YPC) in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns.
You can't erase 291 rushing yards in Week 1. You can't ignore a 5.4-yard season average. Carolina has had legitimate problems against the run, especially when opponents create space and force the defense to tackle in the open field.
Yes, the Panthers' run defense has earned criticism. But now, they also deserve praise.
The 5.4-yard average isn't good enough, and the Week 1 performance was brutal. But calling this group simply the worst run defense in football leaves out an important piece of the picture.
The Week 1 disaster skewed the early numbers, and Carolina has shown since then that it can adjust.
When Carolina has faced two of the league's most dangerous running backs, it has held them to 59 rushing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry.
That's not a finished product. But it's a pretty good reason to believe this run defense can be better than its reputation.
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