Football is a game of space. If you can’t control the line of scrimmage, you don’t have a defense; you have a revolving door. The 2024 NFL season was a masterclass in how bad it can get when the "big boys" up front lose their leverage. Some teams didn't just struggle—they became a "get-right" game for every opposing running back on the schedule.
If you watched the Carolina Panthers or the Dallas Cowboys this year, you know the feeling. It’s that sinking realization in the first quarter when an average backup RB rips off a 12-yard gain on a basic inside zone. No fancy scheme. Just a hat on a hat and a defense that’s too light, too slow, or too undisciplined to stop it.
The Carolina Panthers: A Historical Sieve
Let's be real about the worst rushing defense NFL 2024 has to offer: the Carolina Panthers were in a league of their own. Honestly, it was hard to watch at times. They didn't just lead the league in rushing yards allowed; they basically gave up a scholarship’s worth of yardage every single week.
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Carolina surrendered a staggering 179.8 rushing yards per game. To put that in perspective, the Baltimore Ravens—the gold standard for run defense this year—allowed only 80.1. You’re looking at a gap of nearly 100 yards per game. That’s not just a bad season; that’s a fundamental failure of physics.
Opponents knew exactly what to do. They ran the ball 592 times against Carolina. Why pass when you’re gaining over 5 yards every time you hand the ball off? The Panthers' defense allowed 24 rushing touchdowns and a miserable 5.2 yards per carry. In their final six games, they gave up over 200 yards on the ground in every single contest.
The issue wasn't just talent; it was a lack of depth. When Derrick Brown went down early in the season, the interior of that defensive line turned into a highway. You had guys like A’Shawn Robinson and Nick Scott trying to plug holes, but when your linebackers are constantly catching blockers instead of shedding them, you’re cooked.
Dallas Cowboys: The Big D Stands for Disappointment
If Carolina was the most "consistently" bad, the Dallas Cowboys were the most "shockingly" bad. We’re talking about a team with Micah Parsons and a reputation for being a bully. Instead, they finished 29th in rushing yards allowed per game (137.1) and dead last in rushing touchdowns surrendered, tied with a few others at 25 scores.
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What went wrong in Big D? It’s a mix of ego and physics.
- Weight Matters: The Cowboys' defensive interior has been light for years. Osa Odighizuwa is a great pass rusher, but he’s a sub-300-pound 3-tech. He’s not built to eat double teams for 60 minutes.
- Gap Discipline: This was the biggest killer. PFF grades for Cowboys run defenders were abysmal because guys were constantly "freelancing." Everyone wanted the highlight-reel sack, so they’d fly upfield, leaving massive rushing lanes behind them.
- The Mazi Smith Factor: Dallas drafted Mazi Smith to be the "1-tech" anchor. While he showed flashes of improvement late in the year, he wasn't the immovable object the team needed to stop the bleeding early on.
Basically, if you could get past the initial pass-rush surge, the second level of the Dallas defense was a playground. Teams like the Lions and Bills proved that if you just keep running at the Cowboys, they eventually break.
The Cincinnati Bengals and the "Yards After Contact" Nightmare
You can't talk about the worst rushing defense NFL 2024 without mentioning the Cincinnati Bengals. They finished the season allowing 124.8 rushing yards per game, ranking them 25th in the league. While their offense under Joe Burrow was hitting historic heights, the defense was essentially a sieve that forced the team into weekly shootouts.
The Bengals' problem was tackling. It sounds simple, but it’s the truth. They allowed way too many yards after contact. Whether it was the youth in the secondary or the aging legs on the line, ball carriers weren't going down on the first hit. They gave up 20 rushing touchdowns and allowed a first down on 28.6% of all rushing attempts against them.
When you’re allowing a first down nearly every third time a team runs the ball, you can't get off the field. This puts the pressure back on your offense to be perfect. Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase were great, but even they couldn't outscore a defense that let teams bleed the clock dry.
Why Run Defense Still Matters in a Passing League
There’s this narrative that the NFL is a "passing league" and run defense is secondary. The 2024 season proved that’s total nonsense. Look at the teams that actually made noise in January. The Ravens, Steelers, and Lions all had top-tier run defenses.
When you have the worst rushing defense NFL 2024, you lose the ability to dictate the game.
- You Lose the Clock: If a team can run for 5 yards a clip, they control the tempo. Your star QB is sitting on the bench watching the clock melt.
- Play-Action Kills You: If the defense is terrified of the run, they bite on every fake. This opens up the deep shots that actually win games.
- Fatigue: Chasing a 220-pound RB for four quarters is exhausting. By the fourth quarter, your pass rush has no gas left in the tank.
Actionable Takeaways for Fixing a Broken Run Defense
If you're a fan of these teams—or heaven forbid, an executive—the path forward isn't just "drafting better." It’s a structural shift.
- Invest in the "1-Tech": Stop drafting "hybrid" defensive ends and call them tackles. You need 330-pound monsters who can handle a double team without moving.
- Linebacker Instincts: Speed is great, but run defense requires "diagnose and fill" skills. Too many modern LBs try to outrun the play instead of meeting it at the hole.
- Safety Support: In today’s NFL, safeties are essentially the new linebackers. Teams like the Panthers struggled because their safeties were consistently poor in run support, missing open-field tackles that turned 5-yard gains into 20-yarders.
The 2024 season showed us that while passing stats get the headlines, the ground game still decides who gets bullied. If your team is on this list, expect a very "heavy" offseason focused on the trenches.
To stay ahead of how these teams are rebuilding, keep a close eye on the "Average Depth of Tackle" stats and "Successful Run %" allowed in the 2025 preseason. These are the early indicators of whether a team has actually fixed its interior or is just hoping for better luck next year.