Making the playoffs after a terrible start to the season was shocking for the Carolina Panthers, but they did have one of the best players in the last part of the season in the entire NFL, and that was running back Jonathan Stewart.
The middle stretch of the season was disastrous for the Panthers, as they lost six straight games from Week 7 to Week 13. After Week 13, Stewart would get hot, and the Panthers would start to roll as a team.
Stewart was one of the best players in the NFL from Week 14 on, as with him as the Panthers’ No. 1 RB, Carolina would win their final four games of the season.
Carolina’s season would change in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints on the road. The Panthers with a 3-8-1 record at that time would go down to New Orleans and come out with a 41-10 victory.
With no coincidence the Panthers’ best win of the season would also be Stewart’s best game of the season. Against the Saints, Stewart would run it 20 times for 155 yards and one TD in a dominant performance.
The Panthers would avoid the letdown game in the following week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it wouldn’t be the best of games for Stewart, and that translated to almost a season-ending loss.
In the 19-17 victory over the Buccaneers, Stewart would run it 22 times for 75 yards, which isn’t the best when it comes to YPC, but the real problem was his two fumbles, one of which he lost.
After a disappointing Week 15, Stewart and the Panthers would play much better against the Cleveland Browns in Week 16. Stewart got back to over 100 yards on the ground against the Browns, as he ran it 22 times for 122 yards. Stewart was also a factor in the passing game with two catches for seven yards and a TD.
In the final game of the regular season, the Panthers would obliterate the Atlanta Falcons in the game that decided the NFC South, and Stewart didn’t have much of a workload in a easy 34-3 win.
Stewart would continue his great play from the final quarter of the regular season in the Panthers’ first playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, and their good defense. The Panthers picked up the 27-16 win in the Wild Card Round, as their offense was led by Stewart who had 24 rushes for 123 yards and a TD.
Clearly being overmatched in the NFC Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks, on paper it looked like Stewart would have a tough time against the third-ranked run defense in the NFL. In the Panthers’ loss, their strongest part of the game was Stewart on the ground. On 13 carries, Stewart was able to gain 70 yards with a great 5.4 YPC.
Stewart seems to have the Seahawks’ run defense’s number, as in their regular season meeting he played very well too, but both times it wasn’t enough to help get his team the win.
For the Panthers next season, keeping Stewart healthy will be a big factor in their offensive success, as Stewart has shown this season that when he’s healthy and running well the Panthers’ offense and team are much better.
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