Late-season fade by Panthers’ ground game made for disappointing finish

Dave Canales’s team did make some big strides this season after a 5-12 finish in 2024. The Carolina Panthers won a division title for the first time since 2015. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2017, all this despite finishing with an 8-9 record. It marked the eighth consecutive losing campaign for the franchise.

One of the disappointing aspect of an erratic second half of 2025, as well as what turned out to be a season-high three-game losing streak, was the disappearance of a ground attack that seemed to find itself by midseason.

Offseason free-agent addition Rico Dowdle was a huge part of a running game that nine weeks into the season, ranked fifth in the league in yards per game (139.8). There seemed to be more of a commitment to the ground attack. In their first nine contests, the Panthers totaled 269 running plays, and Canales’s club was held below the century mark on the ground just once.

Including Saturday’s 34-31 loss to the Rams in the wild card round, Carolina has totaled only 214 running plays in his last nine outings. The team has averaged a mere 89.1 yards per game rushing, and limited to fewer than 100 yards rushing in six of those nine contests.

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) rushes for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Panthers ran the ball at least 30 times in five of their first nine games. On the other hand, Carolina has totaled at least 30 attempts just twice in their last nine contests. Canales’s club ran just 22 times for only 83 yards on Saturday vs. Sean McVay’s club in the three-point loss. The team’s longest run in the game was via quarterback Bryce Young’s 16-yard touchdown jaunt in the second quarter.

For whatever reason, Canales and company got away from what turned around their season. Now the Panthers have some time to contemplate exactly what went wrong for a team that dropped six of their final nine overall outings.

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