Published October 27, 2026 12:35 PM
No defense in the NFL is as bad at stopping the run as the Carolina Panthers.
Only one team in the league is allowing more than 150 rushing yards a game, and that’s the Panthers at 153.2. Only one team in the league is allowing more than five yards per carry, and that’s also the Panthers at 5.2.
In Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers, the Panthers’ run defense was particularly inept. Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving had 24 carries for 106 yards, Kenny Gainwell had 14 carries for 88 yards, and Sean Tucker had seven carries for 52 yards. The Bucs’ running backs steamrolling the Panthers’ defense is why Tampa Bay won 43-13 even though quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for just 64 yards.
The Buccaneers started the game with a 14-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, and Panthers linebacker Bobby Okereke admitted that set the tone.
“Obviously they found something today, and it’s a copycat league, so we got to stop the bleeding because teams are going to watch this film and try to exploit any weaknesses in our defense,” Okereke said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com.
But it’s not just the film of the loss to the Buccaneers that the Panthers’ opponents will be watching. It’s also the Week 1 game when the Panthers allowed the Bears to rush for 291 yards. Those two games are the only games this season when any NFL team has allowed 250 or more rushing yards. The Panthers’ defense has struggled to stop the run since the start of the season, and those struggles haven’t gone away.
At 3-3, the Panthers are in first place in the NFC South. They might be a playoff team, but they won’t do much in the postseason if they can’t stop the run.