Panthers Have 1 Major Achilles Heel & It's Not the Porous Run Defense

Carolina's run defense has gotten plenty of attention through three weeks, but there's another problem that's starting to get my attention.

Sep 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Carolina Panthers safety Zakee Wheatley (20) tackles Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I've spent a lot of time talking about the Panthers' run defense, and after watching Chicago run for 291 yards in Week 1, that's probably fair. But I'm starting to think there's another problem that might be just as frustrating.

Carolina hasn't done a very good job when quarterbacks decide to take off and run. I noticed it with Caleb Williams in the opener, and then I watched Deshaun Watson do it again Sunday. After seeing it happen twice in three games, I'm starting to wonder if teams have found something.

Scrambling Quarterbacks Keep Hurting Carolina

Dec 23, 2018; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Williams was the first one to do it. He ran 10 times for 65 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers, including a 29-yard touchdown run. I know we're talking about Caleb Williams, and he's going to make a lot of defenses look bad with his legs this season.

But 65 yards and two touchdowns is a lot.

I probably would've forgotten about it if Watson hadn't turned around and done something similar Sunday. He's not the runner he used to be, but he still carried it 11 times for 45 yards. That's 110 rushing yards from Williams and Watson in two games.

What bothers me is how it keeps happening. Carolina will get the quarterback moving, and I'm sitting there thinking the play is pretty much over. Then he takes off, and suddenly there's nobody there.

I don't know about anybody else, but those plays drive me crazy. It's one thing when a running back gets you. It's another when you think you've got the quarterback in trouble and five seconds later he's running down the field.

I'm also not saying Carolina's defense has been terrible, because it hasn't. After giving up 59 points to Chicago, the Panthers allowed three against Atlanta and 21 against Cleveland. That's 24 points over the last two games, and that's a pretty big improvement from what we watched in Week 1.

But I can't ignore the quarterback runs either. Williams did it in Week 1, Watson did it again in Week 3, and you know other teams are going to see that. If their quarterback can run, why wouldn't they try it?

Maybe the answer is a quarterback spy. Maybe it's changing the way they rush the passer. I'll leave that part to Ejiro Evero, because I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know exactly how to fix it.

I just know I don't want to watch another quarterback take off for 40 or 50 yards against this defense.

Because until Carolina shows it can stop it, why would anybody stop trying?