An immovable object meets an unstoppable force
The immovable object in this scenario is the Chiefs defensive front, who is third in the league in rushing defense. The unit is holding teams to a mere 85.3 yards per game on the ground. It starts with Chris Jones, who has five tackles for loss and a team-leading three sacks.
“We got to know where 95 is, obviously,” offensive guard Robert Hunt said of Jones. “But it’s a really tight group that’s been playing with each other for a while. The defensive coordinator has been there for a long time. They know all the s**t that he’s going to do.”
The unstoppable force in this scenario is Chuba Hubbard, who is fourth in the league overall in rushing, averaging 81.8 yards per game on the ground by himself. The Panthers, as a team, are averaging 110 yards per game.
Since arriving, Dave Canales has preached that the Panthers will be a run-first, physical team. That can’t change, no matter the opponent. Just as importantly, according to Canales, the Panthers can’t try too hard to prove a point versus this defense.
“We don’t really think that way,” Canales said. “It’s just a matter of coming up with a good solid core of runs that work for their structures, and the fact that they’re a really good run team, we can’t think that way to try to take us out of our game plan.”
Hubbard has been running like a man with something to prove, and his mission has been aided by an offensive line clearing the way and setting a standard.
“The run game is a huge piece of our culture of our team, whether it’s offense, defense, special teams when a big physical run happens or a screen on the perimeter and you see the offensive line traveling downfield and making big blocks and springing our running backs free,” pointed out offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.
“Like that’s a piece of our culture and Rob Hunt, like you see it on the toss crack if you go back and watch the New York Giants film and Chuba almost got in, Rob Hunt is pancaking guys and celebrating during the play and picking his guy up, he does that time and time again.”
As the man who helped set the culture, Hunt is looking forward to the challenge of the Chiefs defense.
“It’s going to be a really good test for us and, you know, I believe that we can, I mean, I like us, to come in and try to do what we’ve been doing.”
The run game will also get a boost on Sunday as rookie Jonathon Brooks makes…
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