It was a case of so near, and yet so far for the Carolina Panthers as they fell to a dramatic defeat at the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. But there was one massive positive above all else to emerge from the clash.
The Panthers left themselves with too much to do. It was a tale of two halves for head coach Dave Canales' squad. For all their ineptitude in the first two quarters, they fought back extremely well to almost snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Moral victories are not enough. That's all Canales has to take from this one, but the performance of Carolina's run defense was immensely encouraging when all hope seemed lost.
Carolina Panthers run defense displayed major improvements against the Cardinals
After coughing up 200 rushing yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a huge response was needed. The players took this personally, raising the stakes to restrict the Cardinals to just 82 yards and one score on the ground from 22 carries.
That works out to 3.7 yards per carry, which is a refreshing change of pace. This didn't go unnoticed by Canales, who praised the improved discipline and trust displayed en route to a much-improved showing.
"It was what we talked about, is the discipline and trust with each other of fitting off each other, playing with the energy that they need to, and it was a really disciplined approach to the run game today, so I saw a lot of great improvement there. The guys, it matters to them, and they took a lot of pride in that. But again, the defensive guys will be up here and they'll be the first ones to tell you, you know, there's a handful of plays that we got to be sharper on with our communication and all that."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
This should be the new standard. The Panthers can hold their own against the run; this proves it. The next challenge will be to stack positive performances, which is often trickier.
It's a positive development. Even so, containing Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson during Carolina's home opener in Week 3 is a different test entirely.
The dual-threat phenom exploded for 143 rushing yards during an impressive win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. The Texas product will fancy his chances of another profitable afternoon at Bank of America Stadium, so it's another stern measuring stick that the Panthers must be ready for.
Carolina's run defense should be brimming with confidence after this showing. But make no mistake, it will count for nothing if they cannot maintain this seismic shift.