On Thursday night, the struggling Carolina Panthers managed to get a win over the Atlanta Falcons, 25-15.
They did so the ugly way, as quarterback P.J. Walker didn’t throw a single touchdown pass, and Carolina only mustered a total of 108 receiving yards.
It won this contest the old-fashioned way: by running the football and pressuring Falcons QB Marcus Mariota into mistakes at critical junctures.
These two men were perhaps most responsible for the Panthers’ third win of this season:
D’Onta Foreman
Coming into this contest, D’Onta Foreman wasn’t having a particularly great season, as he had registered just 296 rushing yards and three touchdowns through nine games.
But Carolina rode him to the tune of 31 carries, and he responded with 130 rushing yards and a touchdown late in the third quarter that helped put things out of reach for Atlanta.
🗣️ there he goes pic.twitter.com/6OJnAwX0px
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 11, 2022
Foreman has never been a terribly productive tailback in his five NFL seasons – he did put up 566 yards in nine games last season, but he did so on just 4.3 yards per carry, which is somewhat mediocre.
Without a talented quarterback, and especially with former team cornerstone Christian McCaffrey now playing for the San Francisco 49ers, the Panthers may need to ride Foreman a lot in order to get some wins and build something for next season.
2. Marquis Haynes
Marquis Haynes may not be the biggest star of Carolina’s front seven, but he came up with one of the biggest plays of Thursday’s game.
With 1:54 left in the fourth quarter, the Falcons had the ball on their own 26-yard line facing a fourth-and-18, when Haynes sacked Mariota to prevent them from tying the game or even taking the lead.
.@MarquisHaynes98 all but ends it with a sack! #KeepPounding #ATLvsCAR pic.twitter.com/0pdzjzM7KE
— NFL (@NFL) November 11, 2022
On the night, Haynes finished with a total of two sacks.
Coming into the contest, he hadn’t recorded a single sack this season.
NEXT: Fans React To Panthers Win On Thursday