Carolina Panthers' ground attack picked an odd time to go AWOL

It wasn’t that long ago that Carolina’s running game was propelling Dave Canales’s offense. That has not been the case lately and it has cost the Panthers.

Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Nine games into 2025, the Carolina Panthers owned a 5-4 record. Their ground attack had emerged after a slow start and thanks to a sudden sure from offseason free-agent pickup Rico Dowdle, only four teams in the league were averaging more rushing yards per game (139.8) than Dave Canales’s club.

Victory No. 5 was a 16-13 last-second triumph over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Led by Dowdle, the Panthers totaled 33 rushing attempts for 163 yards in their three-point victory. Canales’s club ran for 100-plus yards in eight of their first nine games. That included 200-plus yards in three-point victories over the Miami Dolphins (239) and Dallas Cowboys (216).

So what has gone wrong these past three weeks. The Panthers have been limited to fewer than 100 yards on the ground in each of their last three contests. They have run for a total of 209 yards in those outings. They come off a 20-9 Monday night loss in which they ran for only 69 yards on a season-low 13 attempts. Carolina’s ground attack now ranks 11th in the NFL after 12 weeks of action.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) breaks away for a long gain with less than a minute left in the game against the Green Bay Packers during their football game Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Carolina won 16-13. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Go back to the Packers’ game. Dowdle totaled 25 carries for 130 yards and reached the end zone twice. In the club’s last three outings, the standout performer has amassed 43 carries for 136 yards and one touchdown.

On Sunday, the Panthers host the team with the best record in the NFC. The Los Angeles Rams, winners of six straight games, bring the league’s ninth-ranked defense into Charlotte. However, it’s worth noting that Sean McVay’s squad is a so-so 13th in the NFL against the run.

If Canales’s club is going to cool off Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford, he of 25 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his last eight games, Dowdle and the Panthers’ ground attack must be the focal point of Carolina’s offense on Sunday. It’s worth noting that Canales’s team is 5-0 this season when the offense amasses at least 30 running plays.

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