Carolina's ground game has been dominant over the last seven weeks and because of it, the Panthers remain in the mix for the NFC South divisional crown. The final two drives of Sunday's game in Seattle were a perfect example of that rushing the ball for 102 yards on 15 carries, leading to ten points.
"Obviously anytime you have the lead in the fourth quarter and can go out and run the ball on your terms, that's exciting," offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said. "It's exciting for the team, exciting for the big guys really. Not just the big guys, but the tight ends did a nice job blocking in the ball game. The receivers did a good job blocking in the ball game. And then to go out and spread the wealth. I think we had six guys run the ball in the game and that was good to see."
Carolina already knew what it had in D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, but this was the first extended look they got of Raheem Blackshear at running back in a meaningful situation and he did not disappoint. He was a major key to the Panthers pulling away at the end with an eight-yard touchdown to go up two scores. Blackshear finished the day with 32 yards on four carries, proving that he can be more than just a kick returner.
"We liked his skillset when we brought him in here," said McAdoo. "He can do a lot of things for you. He can return the ball in both phases, he can play out in space and has a little bit of that receiver skillset to him, and he can also read it as a ball carrier. Runs that are usually reserved for big guys, he has a pretty good feel for them. He presses the line of scrimmage and cut off the feet and there were some good examples of that in the game."
Although he'd like to be even more involved with the run game, Blackshear understands his role and he is accepting of it. That said, those opportunities will continue to come his way as the offense looks to lean on the ground game to make its run to the playoffs. Pun intended.
"It was a blessing," Blackshear said earlier this week about helping the team to victory in Seattle. "I just wanted to help my teammates in any way possible, so wherever they need me at, I'll make sure I'm right there to get it done."
Having a workhorse in the backfield like Foreman is something every team would love to have. But to be able to compliment that with two more backs in Hubbard and Blackshear allows Carolina to run the ball at will. And when you look at the four remaining opponents on the schedule, they should be able to do just that. Pittsburgh is 15th in run defense (115.8 ypg), Detroit is 26th (139.8 ypg), Tampa Bay is 20th (125.4 ypg), and New Orleans is 19th (125 ypg). For a team that controls its own destiny, it's exactly the matchups they'd like to have to claw their way into the playoffs.
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