The Carolina Panthers will have a new play-caller this season in offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, and THE BLITZ projects their pass/run mix to tilt 6.3% more towards rushing than it did last season (context-neutralized).
THE BLITZ projects the Carolina Panthers as the 2nd-most run-centric team among all teams this week with a 52.2% run rate, given their underlying tendencies and matchup dynamics.
THE BLITZ projects D’Onta Foreman to accrue 17.1 carries this week, on average, ranking him in the 90th percentile among running backs.
D’Onta Foreman has garnered 43.7% of his team’s rush attempts this year, ranking him in the 80th percentile among RBs.
D’Onta Foreman has picked up 54.0 rushing yards per game this year, one of the highest marks in football among RBs (78th percentile).
Cons
The Carolina Panthers will be rolling out backup quarterback Sam Darnold in this week’s contest, which generally means fewer pass attempts and more rush attempts.
THE BLITZ projects this game to play at the 11th-slowest pace among all games this week, averaging 26.74 seconds per play based on the tendencies of each team and game dynamics.
The Carolina Panthers have called the 4th-least plays in football this year, totaling a lowly 53.9 plays per game.
The Carolina Panthers have gone up against a stacked the box on 19.7% of their plays since the start of last season, 6th-most in the league. Bringing an extra defender near the line of scrimmage improves run-stopping at the cost of better passing efficiency.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have stacked the box against opponents on 21.0% of their plays since the start of last season, 6th-most in the NFL. Bringing an extra defender near the line of scrimmage improves run-stopping at the expense of better passing efficiency.