Having them both back on the field this week can be massive as the Panthers begin a playoff push, starting with a Saints team that wants to run.
“This (Saints) team has kind of found their identity,” said Evero this week. “They played tough on defense, and then on the offensive side of the ball, they’re committed to run the ball, they’re involving the quarterback in the run game.”
That run game has looked different in recent weeks, though, and will again on Sunday. The Panthers won’t be facing a guy with whom they are very familiar, Alvin Kamara, since he has been ruled out for a third straight week with a knee and ankle injury.
In his place, New Orleans has turned to rookie running back Devin Neal. Through nine games, he has 50 rushes for 178 yards and one touchdown. He’s also pulled in 16 receptions for 100 yards.
The change in running back doesn’t change the plan for Derrick Brown, though.
“I mean, the offensive line is still there, right? You’re playing the same guys,” he noted this week. “Alvin Kamara is a dynamic back. The young guy that got in there, I mean, they got a lot of plug-and-play pieces, so I mean, they got depth just like when our guys go down.
“So I mean now it’s one of those things where, like I said, we got to execute. We got to come out and execute in all three phases, and I mean it’s got to be from the start.”
