"After Carolina Panthers tailback Jonathan Stewart fumbled in the fourth quarter Sunday against Arizona, offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson went right back to him on the next possession.

Stewart ripped off a 19-yard run on his next touch and had 48 yards on five carries on a drive that helped seal the Panthers' 19-12 victory. Though the Panthers didn't score, they took nearly four minutes off the clock and forced the Cardinals to use all of their timeouts.

"After a couple runs, I don't think they wanted to tackle Stew anymore," said Mike Goodson, the Panthers' other tailback. "He's a big guy. He pounded them and pounded them and it opened up."

Goodson's quote describes the Panthers' running game in a nutshell this year. Carolina struggled on the ground much of the season, but kept pounding it - because that's what John Fox-coached teams do - and eventually it opened up.

"The run game is something we've been able to count on and it wasn't as good early in the year," left tackle Jordan Gross said. "But it's been firing well."

It's been firing well since Stewart came back from a concussion and the offensive line found some stability.

In the four games since Stewart's return, the Panthers have rushed for 167.8 yards a game. In their first 10 games, they averaged 96.4 yards on the ground.

Stewart, 5-foot-10 and 235 pounds, has been the catalyst. The 137-yard effort against Arizona was his second consecutive 100-yard game, and he has rushed for 460 yards on 78 carries (5.9-yard average) in the four games since he sat two weeks with a concussion."