Matt Rhule: Carolina Panthers ‘have not been committed to running’ the ball enough

The Carolina Panthers have lost three-straight games since starting the 2021 campaign as one of the most unexpected surprises to the year. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and company surged to a 3-0 start with Sam Darnold as Carolina’s new quarterback, but have sputtered as of late.

Contributing to those struggles, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is currently on injured reserve. Still, Rhule is adamant they still have to find success on the ground in order to win.

“The shame of the game yesterday when you really go back and watch the game, we ran the ball well, we just have not been committed enough to running it,” Rhule said, via the team’s website.

Rhule then made it abundantly clear the Panthers are going to focus on the run and change their identity.

“And that’s going to change, I can tell you right now,” Rhule said. “You’ll see a vastly different look from us moving forward. We’re not going to line up and drop back and throw it 40 times a game and think that’s going to win the game for us. It hasn’t. So there’s no McCaffrey, Chuba’s showing us he can run the ball at a high level when given enough opportunities. So we’re going to redefine who we are. We’re going to run the football, and we’re going to protect our quarterback, and we’re not going to turn the ball over anymore. And that’s the only way that we’re going to win.”

Rookie running back Chuba Hubbard had 16 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown in the overtime loss to Minnesota.

Luckily for the Panthers, McCaffrey will be able to return in a few weeks.

He initially strained his hamstring in the team’s Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans. McCaffrey had participated in a handful of practices (in a limited capacity) since the initial strain before tweaking it again recently, which led to the Panthers officially placing him on IR over the weekend.

With McCaffrey’s health still in question, it’s obvious the Carolina Panthers aren’t waiting around to find a solution to their offensive woes.