{"id":254408,"date":"2025-11-12T13:36:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=254408"},"modified":"2025-11-12T13:36:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:36:19","slug":"carolina-panthers-need-this-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/12\/carolina-panthers-need-this-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Run, Pass, and Protect: What Carolina Must Do to Beat Atlanta"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Panthers are currently 5-5 with three games remaining before the bye week. With a big division matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.<\/a> The Carolina Panthers<\/a> need this victory to stay in the playoff hunt. According to <\/span>NFL.com<\/span><\/i><\/a>, the Panthers have just a 14% chance of making the postseason. With those odds stacked against them, four key things must happen this week for Carolina to come out on top.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Run, Pass, and Protect: What Carolina Must Do to Beat Atlanta<\/h2>\n
\"Bradley
Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes the ball as Miami Dolphins outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) pressures in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Better Week of Preparation<\/b><\/h3>\n

As left tackle Ikem Ekwonu<\/a> stated last week, the Panthers did not have a good week of practice. Players were distracted by off-field attention, and throughout the week, several struggled to execute the game plan. Multiple times, plays had to be re-run and re-explained. Team leaders failed to challenge anyone, and that lack of accountability showed up on game day.<\/span><\/p>\n

The game looked exactly how the week of practice went: Players not executing, missing blocks, failing to read coverages, and lining up incorrectly. It cost them both the game and valuable positioning in the division.<\/span><\/p>\n

Head Coach Dave Canales acknowledged that it\u2019s his responsibility to fix this. He\u2019s seen how the quality of practice directly impacts his young team\u2019s performance. His job now is to keep his foot on the gas and build consistency in preparation.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Coach Nick Saban often preaches, the process matters more than the result. That doesn\u2019t mean Canales needs to change who he is, but rather how he leads. Any coach can yell and scream, but without love behind it, players won\u2019t follow. We\u2019ve seen this dynamic before \u2014 Brian Kelly and Saban may appear similar on the surface, but inside their programs, players love Saban. The same cannot be said for Kelly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rico Dowdle and a Consistent Running Game<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Panthers win when they rush for over 100 yards. The key number this week: <\/span>4.5 yards per carry.<\/b><\/p>\n

Carolina is also undefeated when it wins the time of possession. Even during their comeback against Miami, the Panthers controlled the ball, kept their defense rested, and wore down the Dolphins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heading to Atlanta, they must keep the crowd out of the game and the defense off the field. The Falcons rank <\/span>29th in rushing defense, which sets the stage for a big day from both <\/span>Rico Dowdle<\/a> and <\/span>Chuba Hubbard<\/a>. Keeping a strong rotation between the two will be key, especially now that Hubbard is nearing full health.<\/span><\/p>\n

The running game will be crucial as the season wears on. Even though the NFC South doesn\u2019t experience harsh winter weather, a physical rushing attack can wear opponents down late in the year. Ask any defensive player: they\u2019d always rather face a pass-heavy team than a run-heavy one in December.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you look at the Panthers’ history, their best teams have all been built around the run. The <\/span>2015 squad, led by MVP Cam Newton, ranked seco<\/span>nd in rushing. The <\/span>2003 Super Bowl team ranked seven<\/span>th. It\u2019s time to trust the big men up front and let the running backs take over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bryce Young\u2019s Improvement<\/b><\/h3>\n

Playing in a dome removes weather from the equation. That means it\u2019s time to let <\/span>Bryce Young<\/a> air it out.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Falcons know what the Panthers do best. To keep the defense honest, Carolina needs to give Bryce opportunities to push the ball downfield. Last week, he didn\u2019t complete a single pass beyond 10 yards. That must change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Atlanta\u2019s pass defense may rank f<\/span>irst in the league, but it just gave up over 250 yards to rookie quarterback Drake Maye. This game will be a measuring stick for Bryce\u2019s growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Young has shown flashes that prove he belongs in the NFL, but as the <\/span>No. 1 overall pick, expectations are higher. Fair or not, that\u2019s the burden that comes with being the franchise quarterback. In Year 3, it\u2019s time for his play to <\/span>lead the Panthers to wins, not just manage games.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Defense<\/b><\/h3>\n

This year, the Panthers\u2019 defense is <\/span>perfectly average, 12th in scoring defense, 17th in rushing defense, 15th in passing defense, and 16th overall. The bright spot is the red zone defense, which ranks 6th. That showed in the Green Bay game, where key stops forced field goals instead of touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Being \u201caverage\u201d isn\u2019t necessarily bad. Last year, the defense ranked 32nd in three categories and bottom 10 in nearly all others. This season marks real progress under Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Year 2, Evero has empowered his players to take more ownership. They\u2019re communicating pre-snap, adjusting to formations, and understanding each other\u2019s tendencies. That chemistry has made the defense more disciplined and faster to react.<\/p>\n

Healthy stars Derrick Brown<\/a> and Jaycee Horn<\/a> are anchoring the unit, while new additions like Nic Scourton<\/a>, Tre\u2019von Moehrig<\/a>, and Christian Rozeboom<\/a> have stepped in as key contributors and emerging leaders.<\/p>\n

This matchup against the Falcons will be a true test. Atlanta will be looking for revenge after being shut out by Carolina in Week 3. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr<\/a>. is coming off a three-touchdown performance against the Patriots, and the Panthers\u2019 defense must pressure him early and often.<\/span><\/p>\n

Expect Evero to disguise coverages, use pre-snap motion to confuse Penix, and rally to the ball on short throws. Atlanta has explosive weapons, so keeping everything in front and tackling soundly will be crucial.<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/b><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re at the midpoint of the season and entering the stretch run. The Panthers face a desperate Falcons team that invested heavily in <\/span>Kirk Cousins and then drafted Penix, creating a roster with tension and urgency.<\/p>\n

The Falcons’ playmakers, Kyle Pitts<\/a>, Bijan Robinson<\/a>, and Drake London<\/a>, will all test this defense. For Carolina, this game is about answering tough questions regarding leadership, quarterback play, and consistency.<\/p>\n

They must prove they can prepare with focus, execute with purpose, and handle success the right way. These are lessons young teams often learn the hard way. I hope that the Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

Apply those lessons, execute their plan, and gain ground in both the division race and the playoff hunt.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carolina Panthers game preview: The keys to victory against the Falcons. Bryce Young\u2019s growth, the running game, and the defenses growth<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5698,"featured_media":254463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[9487,7546,7995,6122,9162,32191],"class_list":["post-254408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-panthers","tag-bryce-young","tag-carolina-panthers-roster","tag-chuba-hubbard","tag-derrick-brown","tag-ikem-ekwonu","tag-rico-dowdle"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5698"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254408"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254464,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254408\/revisions\/254464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}