CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The toughest thing Carolina Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman did on a rainy Thursday night in which he rushed 31 times for 130 yards in a 25-15 victory against the Atlanta Falcons was jump into the stands after his third-quarter touchdown.
“They helped me up there,” Foreman said of the Carolina fans at Bank of America Stadium being deluged by Tropical Storm Nicole. “It was kind of a high jump. I didn’t expect it to be that high. It was cool though. It was something I always wanted to do.”
Once Foreman, who is 6-3, 235 pounds, scaled the 6-foot-10 wall, he faced another obstacle.
“The only thing I seen was somebody had a drink or a beer or something, and it started bursting everywhere,” Foreman said. “But I didn’t even care. I was just excited. I was in the moment.”
The Carolina running game has been bursting everywhere since star back Christian McCaffrey was traded to the San Francisco 49ers after Week 6.
Led by Foreman, who has topped 118 yards rushing three times in the past four games, the Panthers have averaged 159.5 yards on the ground since moving on from McCaffrey. That’s the sixth-best rushing attack in the NFL.
The team averaged only 90.3 yards rushing, 26th-best in the NFL, during the first six games with McCaffrey getting the bulk of the carries.
The commitment to the run has helped Carolina win two of its past four games to improve to 3-7 and remain relevant in the NFC South, which is led by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4-5.
Foreman has benefited the most since the trade. He had only 12 carries for 35 yards the first six games. He has 79 carries for 389 yards and four touchdowns the past four games.
The only game in which he didn’t get 100 yards was Sunday’s 42-21 loss to Cincinnati in which the Panthers basically abandoned the run down 35-0 at halftime. He carried the first four plays on Thursday and finished with a career-high in carries.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” said Foreman, who wondered if his football…
Source : espn
