After suffering a heartbreaking loss in Week 10, the Carolina Panthers will look to bounce back on Sunday in the team’s road trip to Atlanta.
Last week, the New Orleans Saints’ defense did an excellent job of shutting down the Panthers’ offensive attack, limiting star running back Rico Dowdle to just 53 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
With Dowdle unable to get it going on the ground, head coach Dave Canales was forced to turn to quarterback Bryce Young, who completed 17 of his 25 pass attempts for 124 yards and one interception.
Despite being held in check in Week 10, the Panthers’ newest starting running back is primed for a huge performance on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
While the Falcons have done a terrific job of locking down opposing teams’ passing games, the fellow NFC South members have allowed the 29th-most rushing yards per game this season (146.4).
During the team’s battle with the Indianapolis Colts in Berlin last Sunday, the defense allowed running back Jonathan Taylor to have his best performance of the season, as he rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns.
In addition to the lack of run support in Week 10, the Falcons failed to limit Carolina’s run game in Week 3, as the combination of Chuba Hubbard and Dowdle tallied 110 rushing yards in the 30-0 blowout victory.
Since Week 5, Dowdle has taken over as the Panthers’ lead back and become one of the hottest running backs in the NFL this season. The 27-year-old has recorded four games of 75+ rushing yards, as well as three games of 100+ rushing yards in the last six weeks.
However, there were concerns about Dowdle’s status for Sunday’s contest, as he was limited in practice on Thursday due to a quadriceps injury. Luckily for Canales, this was an upgrade from being a non-participant on Wednesday, so the rising star is trending in the right direction.
If Dowdle is unable to play, Hubbard would be next in line to take over the lead-back role. The former 2021 fourth-round pick has seen a sharp decline in his role after suffering a calf injury earlier this season, but would also be in line for a huge performance if Dowdle does not play on Sunday.