It’s cut day and that means the Panthers are officially in regular season mode. As the team prepares for the Cleveland Browns, head coach Matt Rhule says their main focus will be their improving the run game on offense and stopping it on defense.
“I think we’ve gotten a lot better in a lot of areas,” Rhule said after practice Monday. “I think we’re throwing and catching the ball better. Our pass rush – getting at the quarterback – has been really good. Our main focus right now is our ability to run the ball and stop the run.”
“It’s not a talent issue or a scheme issue,” Rhule continued. It’s just a technical, execution issue in some areas that we’re going to be really intentional about.”
The run game has been a weak spot for the Panthers on both sides of the ball. Last season, with Christian McCaffrey sidelined ten games with injury, Carolina’s offense was ranked 20th in rushing yards per game – averaging 108.4 on the ground. On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers gave up 113.8 yards per game – 18th worse in the league.
If Carolina expects to take a leap in Rhule’s third year, fixing this will be essential.