The Carolina Panthers absolutely steamrolled the Atlanta Falcons in their home opener. They did it with a patchwork offensive line that looked anything but outmatched.
Just days after Pro Bowl right guard Robert Hunt and starting center Austin Corbett were placed on injured reserve, the Panthers turned to Chandler Zavala and Cade Mays to fill the void. The result? A 30-0 shutout that sent a loud message across the NFC South.
"I mean, I just feel like they've shown it, time and time again," left tackle Ikem Ekwonu said of Zavala and Mays. "Anytime they're called upon, they can fill in any time we need. You know we saw it with Cade, and then we saw it with Chandler a little later last year, but anything we need from those guys, they can do it. And you can see today; there's no drop off. We just go out there and just ball as a unit."
Carolina Panthers offensive line remained strong despite key absences in Week 3
The Panthers didn’t light up the scoreboard with explosive plays, but they controlled the game in the most old school way possible: by owning the line of scrimmage. Carolina ran for 110 yards on 30 carries, allowed just one sack, and chewed the clock with long, steady drives that wore Atlanta down.
"It says a lot," left guard Damien Lewis said. "I'm very confident in Chan and Cade coming out there doing their job. They're coached well, so hats off out to those guys, they came and played ball today. We were coached for it, so you know, I'm just proud of them stepping in."
You know your protection is good when the running back compliments it.
"I feel like our offensive line as a whole is a great group, from the coaches to the players, so no matter who's in there, everyone does a great job," Chuba Hubbard said. "So to see those guys step up, Zavala, Ickey coming back quick (from his appendectomy after one week), all these different guys coming back, it was big."
If the Panthers wanted to make a point about who they were up front, they made it early in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth and goal from the one-yard line with a 20-0 lead, Carolina could have easily settled for a field goal. Instead, they brought in an extra lineman (practice squad call-up Brandon Walton) and ran the ball straight into the teeth of Atlanta’s defense.
Rico Dowdle punched it in for his first touchdown in a Panthers uniform, but the play was really about the five guys up front.
"I hope there wasn't any doubt," Ekwonu said. "Like the expectation for us, as offensive line, obviously fourth and 1, that's our down at the end of the day. So it's our job to get it done and just glad we got it done today."
This performance made one thing clear: don’t count the Panthers out of the playoff race too soon.