Something will have to give when the Carolina Panthers hit the road to face the Cleveland Browns in Week 3. The Browns will face a high-flying offense in the home opener, but Dave Canales' Panthers also have a glaring flaw.
Carolina has given up a whopping 224 rushing yards per game, which is dead last in the league. Conversely, the Browns' pedestrian running game is averaging just 65.5 rushing yards per contest, the second-lowest mark in football.
While some of that was due to the negative game script in Week 1 — Cleveland trailed 28-0 in the second quarter — this is still the perfect setting to help Quinshon Judkins get the monkey off his back once and for all.
If the Browns are finally going to get their ground game going, this is the spot.
The Cleveland Browns must get Quinshon Judkins going
Not only do the Panthers have the worst run defense in football, but they're also giving up the most rushing yards after contact per rush (4.8). That should work wonders for a Browns offensive line that ranks 21st in run block win rate and 29th in yards before contact per rush (1.02), according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.
Monken told reporters this week that they must coach and scheme the running game better, taking some pressure off Judkins' shoulders. The second-year running back has struggled with a lack of patience and vision, but he might also be trying to do too much.
"We are what the statistics bear out," Monken said. "Gotta scheme it better, coach it better, block it better. It's not good enough."
Judkins' explosiveness was his most impressive trait in college and even early on in his NFL career. While he's not Derrick Henry, Monken's workhorse back as the offensive coordinator for Baltimore, he was expected to be one of the primary beneficiaries of Monken's power, wide-zone running schemes.
Judkins made a living forcing missed tackles, stiff-arming defenders, and grinding his way through interior gaps. But now, he might want to get back to basics and just try to take what the defense is giving him. He's not even facing stacked boxes at a high rate, so there's no excuse for his inefficiency, not even behind a new-look offensive line.
The Panthers allowed the Chicago Bears to run for 7.5 yards per carry in the season opener, with both of their running backs topping 100 rushing yards. Then, Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. combined to average 4.5 yards per carry in a game where the Falcons couldn't even establish the run because of a big deficit.
This is just what the doctor ordered for the Browns' once-promising second-round draft pick. Even though Deshaun Watson took big steps in Week 2, this team's best hope of staying ahead of the sticks will be to put the ball in Judkins' hands.
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