The 6-3 Panthers head to the 3-6 Detroit Lions for a pivotal game to keep pace for a playoff spot in the NFC and to prove that they can win on the road; after suffering a brutal defeat against the Steelers last week, Carolina needs any sort of win to regain its confidence – they’re 5-0 at home and 1-3 away from the friendly confines.
The Lions appear to be a team on the decline, losing three in a row to the Seahawks, Vikings and Bears as the offensive line has given up 16 sacks in the last two games and the defense is equally out of sorts.
However, rookie running back Kerryon Johnson has been a bright spot for a season that is quickly slipping away from Matt Patricia in his first season as head coach. With 554 rushing yards on 103 carries and two touchdowns, Johnson has brought life to a run game that before him had not seen a 100-yard rusher since Reggie Bush back in 2013 (he’s done it twice now). 203 receiving yards and a touchdown have also been added – Johnson has the second-most yardage from scrimmage among rookies (757) despite not seeing more than half of the snaps in a single game until four weeks ago.
What exactly makes Johnson a threat for the Panthers defense? Let’s look at some examples.
Against the Patriots, Johnson rushed for 101 yards, becoming the first Lion to rush for over 100 in five years.
Where other backs like Ameer Abdullah have failed, Johnson has succeeded. He shows impressive quick vision and he’s able to make deep cuts without having to break down his mechanics or speed.
As Dont’a Hightower – #54, the defender Johnson is looking at – gets past the blocking, that’s when Johnson makes a phenomenal cut inside and gets into the open field. The result looks something like this.
Against the Cowboys, Johnson rushed for 55 yards on nine carries, with one run going for 32 of those 55 yards. Nevertheless, it was an impressive one.
The left interior of the Lions offensive line double blocks to set up space for Johnson.
Luke Willson (#82) makes a great block to open a crease for Johnson to find – he recognizes it and goes through the hole…
….and once again….
…Johnson is in the open field.
Johnson leaves no shortage of athleticism as a receiving back either. He and Theo Riddick are the only running back duo in the NFL with 30+ receptions each.
On this play against the Seahawks, Johnson runs a simple route to the flat, and Stafford targets him.
In addition to running at a solid pad level, Johnson has shown a few times how physical he is as a receiving back…
…and here he shoves down defensive back Justin Coleman and breaks into space…
…somehow picking up the first down in the process.
It’s easy to see why Lions fans love Kerryon Johnson; he shows impressive short area vision as a runner with a smooth cutting ability and is a physical receiving back with a nasty stiff arm. Against better defenses like the Vikings and Bears, the run blocking ahead of him has struggled, but the Panthers aren’t as good on the defensive line, so they’ll need to make sure to bring him down on first contact – no easy task.
All things considered, stopping Johnson, especially on early downs will force the Lions’ hand on a passing game whose offensive line has significantly struggled in their last two matchups, allowing 16 sacks the past two weeks. If the Panthers defensive line can pin their ears back and rush the passer, it’s going to make life very difficult for Matthew Stafford.
