Even in a disheartening defeat, the Carolina Panthers saw plenty of good against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8. And amongst those positives are the encouraging returns they received on the distribution of their snap counts.
Here are the most notable standouts in that department from Sunday.
Terrace's time?
Marshall Jr. has gotten the most burn of his young career over these past two games—recording snap shares of 86 percent in Week 7 and 92 percent in Week 8. Oh, and he made the most of his 74 plays on Sunday.
Not only did those snaps account for his highest total yet, but the 2021 second-rounder also posted bests in receptions (four) and yards (87). Marshall Jr. has now finished second in receiving yards for Carolina in these last pair of outings, and could be cozying in to that No. 2 role behind DJ Moore.
Foreman of the backfield
Speaking of cozying into roles, Foreman is making a living as the top dog in Carolina’s new-look backfield.
Although interim head coach Steve Wilks has expressed a desire to run by committee—which should be closer to a reality when Chuba Hubbard returns from his ankle injury—Foreman took 54 snaps on the day. That far surpassed his running mates in Spencer Brown (18) and Raheem Blackshear (seven).
The fifth-year back turned those chances into 118 yards and three touchdowns over 26 carries. Foreman has now hit that 118-yard mark—the highest for any Panthers rusher since 2019—two weeks in a row.
Ick is stickin'
In a bit of an expected growing pain, 2022’s sixth overall selection got off to a rough start as a pass protector—allowing nine pressures and three sacks over his first three NFL games. But he’s certainly caught on since.
Between Weeks 4 and 7, Ekwonu was charged with just three pressures. And, impressively enough, he kept that number right there on Sunday—giving up zero of them through 38 opportunities against the Falcons’ pass rush.
