The Carolina Panthers couldn't get anything going on the ground in their first meeting with the New Orleans Saints this season. Head coach Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley came up with the perfect blueprint on how to nullify this supreme threat, and Dave Canales' squad suffered accordingly with an embarrassing defeat on home turf.
However, things could be different this time around.
Carolina has a legitimate 1-2 backfield punch. Rico Dowdle's been performing well all season, but he doesn't have to do it alone anymore. That is thanks to Chuba Hubbard finally finding his feet after recovering from a nagging calf issue. The former Oklahoma State standout has started to look much more like his old self in recent weeks, and the overall team improvements speak for themselves.
Chuba Hubbard is all about putting the Carolina Panthers first, regardless of the backfield dynamic
And regardless of how Canales strategizes his game plan for Carolina's crucial Week 15 clash at the Caesars Superdome, Hubbard will be ready when the time comes.
Hubbard isn't interested in who starts or who gets more carries. He's all about the team, making plays, and helping the Panthers right one of their biggest wrongs of the season. He also knows that Dowdle will be ready to meet his end of the bargain when his number is called.
"I'm not in charge of the carries or how that's going to work. I just know coach is going to call a good game regardless, whoever gets what touches. And me and Rico's job is just to be ready and make plays, and that's what we've been doing. Like I said, Rico's been amazing all year."Chuba Hubbard
#Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard on the backfield timeshare: pic.twitter.com/KHfOcakHK2
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) December 11, 2025
The 2021 fourth-round pick has never sulked or taken a step back, even when going to the fringes briefly during Dowdle's meteoric rise. Hubbard knew his game would come good once he fully healed, and he was right. Now, the Panthers have a powerhouse backfield tandem capable of giving anybody problems when they find their groove.
When the Panthers run the football well, the offense hums. The Saints showed what can happen when it doesn't click, a harsh lesson everyone in the building took on board. How they respond is crucial, and with the NFC South summit firmly in sight, nothing but supreme execution and exceptional resolve will do.
Fortunately for the Panthers, Hubbard and Dowdle have that in abundance. And if they can spearhead their team to another pivotal success on the road, nobody will care about the backfield carry share when push comes to shove.
That's the bottom line, and Hubbard knows it.