Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart hasn’t been healthy in a long time, but it finally looks like he’s at full strength and is comfortable with being the team’s main back. There’s no denying Stewart’s exceptional talent, but we haven’t see any sort of consistency from the Oregon product ever since ankle injuries started to take their toll on him. But even during his struggles, there were always glimpses of the old Stewart, and we saw that during the preseason when he looked rejuvenated against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two weeks is hardly much of a sample size, but Stewart seems to be back on track for the first time since averaging 5.4 yards per carry in the 2011 season. After putting up 85 rushing yards on just 12 carries last week against the Minnesota Vikings, J-Stew ripped up an overwhelmed New Orleans Saints run defense to the tune of 155 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. Not only did he run 20 times for the first time this season, but he’s also averaged over seven yards per carry in back-to-back contests. It puts his season average up to 4.9 yards per carry, which is a full 1.4 yards per carry higher than DeAngelo Williams, who has been even more prone to injury than Stewart this season.
Williams is questionable for next week’s game against the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it honestly doesn’t matter with the way Stewart has been playing lately. That said, we can’t be too sure that Stewart will be able to keep it up, and we can’t be too sure that he’ll be able to stay healthy. Both are elephants in the room, but the fact of the matter is that Stewart has been brilliant in these past two games and will most likely have no trouble running all over the Buccaneers defense. Again, talent isn’t an issue here, and the consistency issues merely stem from health issues. If Stewart can stay healthy, then he will be a fully legit feature back, and if he can be a fully legit feature back in the Panthers offense, then they might just be the new favorites in the NFC South.
It’s hard to ignore a 41-10 drubbing of the previous favorites in the division, and 150+ yards is incredibly impressive, even against a dreadful run defense. Stewart is rolling right now, and this has massive benefits for the entire Panthers offense. For starters, Cam Newton hasn’t been able to benefit from a consistent rushing attack for quite some time, and there were games this season in which he was the lone rushing threat; that isn’t conducive to any sort of sustained offensive success, especially when Newton is already dealing with the stress caused by an incompetent offensive line.
Stewart’s big day coincided with a strong performance from Newton, who was brilliant at the beginning of the season before falling off a cliff. That blowout win has the Panthers back in business, because their backfield duo finally looks like a legitimate threat to defenses. Stewart now has 563 rushing yards on the season, and his 4.9 yards per carry has him locked in as the team’s No. 1 back.
He’s giving the Panthers offense the spark they need here in the home stretch of their run for the division title, and Stewart’s role is pivotal right now.If he can keep it up and give the Panthers offense a good rushing attack, then this team could have what it takes to get into the postseason. A talented running game does wonders for the passing attack, and these big-time performances from Jonathan Stewart are exactly what Newton and the passing attack needed.
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