David Newton, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Panthers must find themselves on offense before season is lost

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nine games into the season the Carolina Panthers have lost their identity offensively.

To salvage a season that is close to being lost, they must find a way to get it back.

That begins with getting running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart more involved.

"We are going to have to continue to find more and more chances to use them, more and more situations where we have to put the ball in their hands," coach Ron Rivera said after Thursday night's 28-10 loss to New Orleans.

He reiterated that on Friday after watching film and discussing the direction of the team with his staff moving forward.

"We have to find ways to put it in their hands now," said Rivera, whose 3-5-1 team is 1-5-1 over the past seven games. “It’s very obvious. It’s very clear-cut."

Stewart rushed eight times for 46 yards, an average of 5.8 yards a carry, against the Saints. Williams had only 20 yards on eight carries in his first game after missing four with an ankle injury, but he had a 30-yard catch on a screen pass.

That those two touched the ball only 17 times is an issue for a team that can’t protect quarterback Cam Newton, whose 35.7 completion percentage and 39.4 passer rating against New Orleans were career lows.

The benefit of getting Williams and Stewart more involved is huge on several levels. If the run game is working it keeps defenses from keying on Newton in the passing game and makes it easier to protect him. It also takes pressure off Newton to make things happen with his legs.

It also keeps the clock rolling, which keeps the ball out of the hands of quarterbacks such as Drew Brees.

The Pro Bowl quarterback completed 24 of 34 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown. He and the New Orleans offense were on the field way too long, holding a 35:18 to 24:42 edge in time of possession.

“They played a hard game," Rivera said of his defense. “They came out and did some really good things in the first half. You wish we could have sustained that. At the same time, we have to control the ball a little bit better on the offensive side to take some pressure off them."

The Panthers ranked fifth in the NFL in time of possession a year ago. Having a running game that ranked 11th in yards per game was a major factor.

The running game ranks 27th this season and the Panthers are 18th in time of possession.

That they have run 41 percent of the time and passed 59 percent plays into that. They had more balance a year ago, rushing 48.3 percent of the time.

Injuries have played a major role in the trend. Williams missed four of the first eight games with injuries. Stewart missed three games with a knee injury. Fullback Mike Tolbert, who played a big role in the blocking and running scheme, has been on temporary injured reserve since suffering a fractured leg in Week 3.

He’s not set to return until Week 13.

Carolina also has to get the ball in the hands of tight end Greg Olsen more.

Olsen has only four catches for 46 yards in the past two games. He had 41 catches for 493 yards and five touchdowns in the first seven.

Getting left tackle Byron Bell (knee) and left guard Amini Silatolu (calf) -- and possibly right guard Trai Turner (knee) -- back for the Nov. 10 Monday night game against Philadelphia will help.

Olsen has had to stay in longer to block the past two week with inexperienced players such as undrafted rookie left tackle David Foucault being forced into duty.

“He’s got to help with the protection," Rivera said. “So the different things we do he’s not in the route immediately. So that takes away from his visibility to the quarterback. Instead of being downfield where he normally is, now he’s working off the chip.

“Sometimes coming off the chip you get caught up in it and are late coming out."

Having Williams and Stewart back will help there as well because they can handle some of the protections.

It all starts with them.

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